


Compass and Anchor

by AngelWars, meridianpony



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Cliffhangers, Clones, Electrocution, Gen, Interrogation, Lots of angst!!, No mercy!!, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Torture, We are evil :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24516283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWars/pseuds/AngelWars, https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianpony/pseuds/meridianpony
Summary: Fives protected Echo, always. It was Fives and Echo, Echo and Fives. That’s how it had been since the moment they were able to walk. Fives couldn’t leave his brother behind. Not even during the Citadel mission.He was supposed to run, but he chose not to. It didn’t matter if that meant imprisonment, if that meant torture, if that meant death. Fives was never going to leave a brother behind again.
Comments: 128
Kudos: 255
Collections: Echo&Fives





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! AngelWars and I (meridianpony) decided to do a collab for Fives week, an event that’s being hosted by the wonderful @painkiller80 on tumblr! Day 2’s prompt is family. So... naturally we found a way to put as much angst into that as possible ha!
> 
> Our writing styles are different and it was really fun to put this together, both of us learned a lot! We have the majority of the fic written so the rest of the chapters will be out soon! Thanks again to painkiller80 for the awesome prompts! 
> 
> -AngelWars and meridianpony :)

The explosion rattled his teeth. Fives felt it in his bones as the shockwave rippled past him, so forceful that his own frantic cry of  _ “Echo!”  _ was nearly lost in the deafening sound. The shuttle was in flames, the droids were closing in, and Echo was gone. 

Echo’s helmet, charred and smoking, landed in front of him. Fives couldn’t move. Could barely even breathe. He heard General Kenobi calling for a retreat, saw Commander Cody and the others racing for cover, but Fives didn't follow. He was supposed to, but he didn’t. 

He thought he heard Captain Rex calling his name. He needed to run. That was how he was trained to react.  _ There’s no time to move, soldier. Keep moving. He’s dead. Keep your head down. Make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you.  _

Except —except it was  _ Echo.  _ Fives protected Echo, always. It was Fives and Echo, Echo and Fives. That’s how it had been since the moment they were able to walk. Fives  _ couldn’t  _ leave his brother behind.

He whirled and looked at Rex. The Captain was waiting, tense and worried on the other side of the courtyard. He gestured frantically, because the rest of the strike team was leaving. If Fives didn’t move now, he was going to be left behind. 

He shouldered his gun and made a choice. He turned away from Rex. It was a simple motion, but Rex must have understood Fives’ intent. 

“Fives,  _ don’t!” _

Fives didn’t listen. 

He ran towards the site of the explosion. Rex didn’t come after him. The Captain couldn't sacrifice the mission like that. Fives didn’t hold it against him. But Fives had very few things in this world. His armor, his weapon. His status as an ARC. And he had Echo. He wasn’t going to leave him behind. Not even if that cost him his life. 

He found Echo near the edge of the courtyard, armor blackened and warped from the heat of the explosion. He was unconscious, but  _ alive.  _ Something in Fives’ chest clenched at the realization. Echo was clinging to life, stubborn as always. 

He was also missing three limbs. Fives hovered his hands over Echo’s body. He didn’t even know where to start to stop the bleeding. 

It didn’t matter, anyway, because suddenly there were five gun barrels levelled at his skull. Fives didn’t look up at them, didn't give them the satisfaction. Instead he curled himself as best as he could around Echo’s still form and waited for the droids to blast him into oblivion. 

(He wondered if this was how Hevy had felt, before he died — surrounded and on his own.)

But the blast never came. It was silent, except for the sounds of raging fire nearby. Fives slowly opened his eyes and subtly pressed his hand against the one Echo still had, wrapping his pinkie around Echo’s. 

Then his heart was filled with rage.  _ Why are they just sitting there staring at us? _ Fives clenched his jaw and grit out, "If you’re going to kill us, then just do it!" His eyes never left Echo's bloodied face. Burns covered Echo’s entire neck, crawling up like cracks from under the neckline of his armor. 

Two of the droids soundlessly lowered their guns and backed away. They disappeared from Fives' peripheral, and that made him all the more nervous.  _ They are just toying with us. They'll kill us off soon. But I need to make sure Echo doesn't feel any pain when it happens. _

"Sir. We've found two clones on the platform,” one of them spoke. Fives tightened his hold on Echo the best he could. He knew where this was going. The droids were going to execute them. 

"Yes sir." The droid lowered its arm and made its way back to the pair of troopers. 

Fives growled under his breath and shifted so then he was protectively hovering over Echo. He wouldn’t let these clankers hurt him anymore than they already had. 

"You will be coming with us," the red one spoke. Fives tensed up and slowly looked up.

"What? The kriff do you mean?" 

The droids started to get closer, surrounding them, tightening the circle they'd created. Fives felt nervous. "Kriff, you touch him and I'mma kriffing destroy you!" One for the droids pointed at Echo. 

"Separate the injured one from it." The droids immediately listened. 

Fives hissed and tried to hold onto Echo but they ripped him from his grasp. Echo didn't scream, but Fives surely did. 

"NO!! Let go of me! Echo, kriff, leave him alone!!" Fives yelled. He tried to kick the droids holding him down against the platform, but they were quite stronger than he was. Especially when there were three pinning him there. 

As Echo was dragged off, blood trailed across the ground along with him, following the gory nubs where his limbs used to be. Fives gasped.

"No! He needs medical attention, are you listening to me?!" The droid responded with a kick to the stomach. Fives doubled over.

"Silence." 

Fives didn’t listen. He would fight and fight until he had Echo back in his arms again.  _ I should've moved him when I had the chance _ . 

"Let go of me!!" Fives kicked his legs but one of the droids dug their knee into it. He gasped and struggled. That hurt. The green droid on his left side pulled out an electro-rod and aimed it at him. Bolts of electricity ran up and down Fives' spine, he yelled and fought through the crackling pain, yanking his arms away, but he couldn't move far. 

They pressed the rod into the side of his neck again. "Ughhh!!!!" Fives screamed until he couldn't anymore. He slumped forward and stared off into the distance. Echo could be seen getting dragged into a… . ship? The droids grabbed Fives from around his arms and pulled him up. He hung his head over lazily in their hold. 

The droids dragged him past Echo, who was strapped to a medical bench of some kind. Fives moaned, tried to reach out to his brother but couldn't. The droids unceremoniously tossed him into a small room in the back of the ship and closed the door. Fives immediately stood up on wobbly legs and pounded on the metal door. 

"Let me out!! You kriffers!" 

He panted and slammed his shoulder into the metal, gritting his teeth. "Echo! Echo!" But no response came back. The ship started to move and Fives jolted back from the door, completely off balance. He fell to the floor, panting. 

".... Echo… " Fives tucked his knees in against his chest the best he could. His ribs hurt a bit, but he didn't think they were broken. Hopefully not. He inhaled and exhaled shakily before he tipped his head back to thunk against a metal crate behind him. 

"Ni'm Ni ceta. " Fives whispered out to no one in particular. The ship exited the planet's atmosphere and they jumped into hyperspace, leaving the Citadel, and the broken and volcanic Lola Sayu behind. 

* * *

Hyperspace meant several horrible things. 

The first was that they were being taken far away. The second was that there was no way for the Republic to track them, even if they did attempt a rescue. Their chances of receiving help were diminishing by the minute. Fives pushed himself to his feet once the first hour had drifted by and started to pace the length of the room. It wasn’t surprising that they weren’t dead yet —they were ARCs, after all, and that made them targets in the eyes of the Separatists. ARCs were privy to high-clearance missions and  all sorts of intel that ordinary troopers didn’t have. Fives scowled at the wall as he moved. The Seppies had another thing coming if they thought that Fives was going to tell them anything. 

He hoped that Echo was still alive. If he wasn’t, Fives was going to tear this ship apart. 

Echo hadn’t looked good. He’d been losing too much blood. Anxiety clawed at Fives’ insides. He resisted the urge to slam his fist into the wall in frustration. Breaking his hand would just make things worse —he was going to need it if they were going to get out of this in one piece. 

Time passed by slowly as Fives’ thoughts swirled and spiraled. The drop out of hyperspace made him lose his footing for a moment. He stumbled, and then righted himself with a new sense of determination. If they were coming out of hyperspace, they would be landing soon, and the droids would come for him. Fives was going to be ready. 

He waited through the vibration of the ship entering the atmosphere, and through the telltale bump of a textbook landing. When the door slid open, Fives struck out without even checking to see who his attacker was. He bowled over the first B-1 battle droid, slamming it into the wall with his shoulder. The impact sent a jolt through his entire arm. Fives ignored it. He tore the blaster from the droid’s hand and dropped into a roll, shooting the second droid straight through the processor. 

The commando droids that darted into the room next were significantly more difficult to deal with. Fives hit one in the chest, but it’s armor was thicker and it didn’t even slow down. It drew a vibroblade from the sheath at its hip and came after him. Fives spun away from it and tried to put some space in between them, but the second commando droid was coming in from the other side. Fives braced himself, but it did no good. The vibroblade clanged against his gun and sent it clattering to the floor. 

Before he could try and recover from it, metallic fingers closed around his neck. Fives choked as the droid lifted him up, cutting off his airway. He choked and struggled uselessly against metal fingers. 

“Desist, clone,” the commando said. The voice was toneless. Fives gasped desperately for air.

When it finally dropped him, he stumbled against the wall for a few unsteady moments and scowled when weapons were levelled at him again. He almost lunged once more, but the clankers grabbed him tightly and steered him out of the room with grips of steel across his arms. He had no choice but to let them shove him through the ship. When he was brought to the ramp that would lead them outside, a floating gurney was waiting for them. Fives choked on a shocked inhale at the sight. He tugged against the droids, but they didn’t let him move. 

Echo was pale and silent on the stretcher. He was hooked up to several tubes, and there were strange clamps tightened around the stumps of his missing limbs. That meant they wanted him alive. Fives felt a jolt of fear. 

He was shoved down the ramp. He tried to twist and keep Echo in sight, but they were moving too fast. There was a group of pompous-looking Skakoans waiting for them. They looked Fives up and down, like he was nothing more than a piece of meat. He snarled at them and felt a lick of vindictive satisfaction when a few of them flinched back. 

“These are the clones?” one of the Skakoans warbled, voice distorted by his voice modulator. The commando droids nodded. The Skakoan humed. 

“Good, good. Everything's coming together nicely. Take them to the detention level.”

“I’ll kill you, Separatist scum,” Fives growled. “You won’t get anything from us—”

The commando droid punched him across the face. Fives spat out a mouthful of blood and glared daggers at the Skakoans as he was dragged away.

* * *

The Skakoan glided into the cell with a sweep of robes, flanked by two magnaguards that raised their weapons in a silent threat. 

“Greetings, clone. You have something I want, and you’re going to give it to me.”

Fives refused to answer. He only glared the Skakoan down, eyes an angry gold. His gaze flicked over to Echo for a quick second, who was lying flat down on the floor.  _ Alone. _ Then Fives turned his attention back to the Skakoan.  _ They won’t get me to talk.  _ His mouth twisted up defiantly, but again, no words came out as a response to the Skakoan. 

“Hmm. As amusing as the defiance is, it won’t last long.” The Skakoan’s eyes narrowed behind his facemask. “You will answer my questions one way or another. If you won’t talk, in a few days your mind will.” His gaze drifted downward to study Echo. “Or his will.” 

Fives remained absolutely still. He smirked. _ Kriffing di’kuts. _ “Heh, you’ll just waste your precious time with us. You’re dumber than you look. Thought Skakoans were smarter than that.” Fives stared him down without hesitation.  _ Draw attention off of Echo. That should be my first goal. _

Fives leaned his back against the wall and gave the mother of all smug facial expressions. “Even if you tried, you wouldn’t be able to get anything out of me.” He tipped his head back. “You can try and give it your best shot, sleemo! But you won’t break me. Highly doubt it, actually,” Fives challenged with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Your pride will be your undoing, fool,” the Skakoan sneered. “You will tell me the secrets of the Republic’s strategy algorithm. One of you must have it.” He gestured to the magnaguards. They stepped forwards, electrostaffs crackling to life.

“Algorithm? Heh, you must be mistaken, I don’t know such a thing as an ‘algorithm’. Might wanna go looking somewhere else. You’ve got the wrong guys for that info,” Fives snorted.  _ What is up with this guy? Algorithm….Hm. Haar’chak! Echo, he, he knows the algorithm. Kriff.  _ Fives glared at the floor and then shrugged. “Yeah, doesn’t ring a bell. Oh well! You might just have to, I don't know, give up your search.” Fives huffed out laughter and then smiled smugly once again. 

The Skakoan huffed, placed his hands behind his back. 

“A lifetime of research has gone into this project, meat-droid. Something grown out of a laboratory won’t stop us now.” He clicked his fingers and gestured at Fives, eyes narrowed. The magnaguards jabbed their electrostaffs into Fives’ side.

Fives grit his teeth.  _ Ugh! Kriffing… “ _ Aaaah!!” Fives screamed and then snapped his jaw shut. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t give them the satisfaction. So he practically ate those electro-shocks. He could show pain in his eyes, but NOT his voice. The magnaguards backed off and the Skakoan said, “Again.” 

Fives clenched his eyes shut and pushed the scream down as it zapped him. The electric blue bolts rolled across his tan skin like a storm, spiraling in and out as if they were dancing. Putting on a show. Fives felt his vision start to black out just when the magnaguards backed off again. He let out steady breaths and chuckled. “Is...that all you got?” He forced out the last part and gave them a mighty grin once again. 

The Skakoan huffed in annoyance. 

“Hit him again. I’m not in the mood to hear such insolence.”

The electrostaffs came closer again. Fives had literally three seconds to brace himself. His eyes sweep to the other side of the room, where Echo lay, alone and hurting, most likely.  _ Echo. I’ll try to hold on as l- _ He was shocked again. “Grrrr!!” Fives clenched his teeth and glared at one of the torturers.  _ Kriffing scum!  _ Then another electrostaff hit him on his left side. More spiked blue raced up and made his arms twitch violently. The Skakoan hummed to himself. 

Fives was given a break to breathe for barely 15 seconds before the electrostaff were on him AGAIN. Echo’s immobile body stayed completely still.  _ What if these kriffers broke him?  _

_ What if he never wakes up? No no. I can’t think like that. I can hold out for him. I will NOT break!! If it’s the last thing I do.  _ Another electrostaff joined the party.  _ Oh, kriffing great. This is absolutely wonderful. _ It struck him in the side. He had three different electrostaffs sticking him in three places: his right side, his left side, and his neck. It _ HURT.  _

“You may be able to resist now, but I doubt you can keep it up,” the Skakoan taunted. “Your own body will eventually betray you. The Techno Union always gets what it wants. Why prolong the inevitable? Tell me what you know about the algorithm, and you and your friend will receive quick and merciful deaths.”

Fives closed one eye and looked over at the taunting Skakoan. The electrostaffs did not move from their positions. They backed off again after a full two minutes of electrocuting him constantly without break.

He panted heavily and could see the furthest electrostaff disappear from his peripheral. “....Like I said. You won’t get anything from me. You. Are wasting your time.” He cocked his head to the side smartly. Sweat started to roll down his forehead, but he didn’t show that it bothered him. Fives was stronger than this nerfherder thought. 

_ He underestimated me. _

The Skakoan seemed to be growing impatient. He heaved a sigh. 

“Very well. If you won’t talk, perhaps your injured friend —”

“Sir,” the magnaguard interrupted before the Skakoan could go any further. “The second clone cannot sustain any more damage. It will not survive.”

The Skakoan growled in frustration. 

“Very well. You can have some time to think about it, clone. Perhaps some time alone will jog your memory. We’ll be back tomorrow for the information.”

Fives scoffed, but did not break eye contact. “Can’t wait,” he smiled sarcastically. No true emotion resided behind the smile. It was just there to make it seem like he wasn’t bothered by this new update. They would be here the next day.  _ Kriff. Right. We are now prisoners. ‘We’. Echo, I need to check on him as quickly as possible! Once these di’kuts leave.  _

The Skakoan said nothing else. He wouldn’t need to. He walked out of the room along with the magnaguards and the sliding door slid closed behind them with a ‘woosh’, leaving Fives alone in the room. Well, he wasn’t completely alone, Echo was there. But it sure felt like he was alone. Echo was unresponsive and who knew for how long.

Fives immediately shot up from where he knelt on the floor and almost stumbled forward.  _ Echo. Echo.  _ He repeated the name multiple times in his mind as if he’d forget it.

He crossed the room in four striding steps and knelt down at Echo’s side. Fives moved his hands and then froze. Echo looked so fragile and broken. Fives wasn’t even sure if he should touch him. His hands hovered right over his brother. Echo’s chest moved up and down slowly. 

_ He’s alive! Well of course he is, di’kut!  _ Fives’ eyes swept across Echo’s body, searching for any still bleeding wounds. The extra medical training he had received for emergencies kicked in.

_ I don’t need to apply pressure to the wounds. They already did the hard part for me, but only to keep him alive for their evil schemes. _

Fives stared down at Echo’s emotionless face. _ The algorithms. If they get their hands on it, who knows what they’ll do with it. And even worse, they’ll kill Echo and I once they get what they want.  _ Echo wheezed. Fives stopped thinking. He didn’t breathe, he just listened.

“Echo? Echo, can you hear me?” he asked softly. 

Nothing.

Fives ended up sitting against the wall for what felt like hours. But perhaps time was moving much slower than he thought. Echo was still lying on the floor. Missing a couple limbs, skin as white as a sheet of paper, eyes closed. Not even his eyeballs moved behind them. It made Fives feel nervous.

He sighed as he watched Echo. There wasn’t much he could do except remain silent and vigilant, especially since those shabuirs  were still hanging around outside.  _ Guards. Most definitely. _ Echo’s breathing hitched. Fives’ eyes flicked over to stare at him, then Echo’s chest lowered again. 

Something didn’t feel right to him. He scooted closer to his vod until he was right next to his head. He raised his hand and then placed it on the side of his neck.  _ Boom boom. Boom boom. _ Fives stared at his neck right where his carotid artery resided, hidden away by sensitive fabrics and fragile skin. One wrong move with a blade could end it all. 

_ Gah! Focus, focus. _

_ Boom boom. Boom boom.  _ Fives closed his eyes and hummed to himself.  _ His heart is going at a regular speed. But why am I getting this bad feeling? It just sits at the back of my mind, like something’s trying to warn me. _

Echo remained still.

_ Ah Echo. Please wake up soon. I don’t know what these guys are going to do to us? No, scratch that! I do have an idea of what they are going to do to us. But it may get you killed. I-I...I can’t allow that to happen. _

Still nothing. Just heavy wheezing. And the constant lift and lower of Echo’s chest. 

_ I promise. I will protect you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! We appreciate the support! Stay tuned for more! (Spoiler alert it’s literally just angst heh)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! We are back to celebrate more of Fives week, with lots more angst! Prepare yourselves!!

Echo was cold. 

He could feel it all the way down to his bones. It was the first thing he was conscious of. He gasped weakly and tried to curl in on himself automatically, but the motion sent flashes of agony through his body. He clenched his jaw to keep from making a pained sound and stopped moving. 

“What the—Echo? Echo, can you hear me?”

Fives. He sounded strange. Echo tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids refused to cooperate. 

“...Fvs?” he forced from his ice-cold lips. Suddenly there were hands on his shoulders. The warmth of someone else’s body heat almost burned. Echo twitched away involuntarily. 

“Sorry,” Fives said hurriedly. “Sorry, Echo—hang on. Don’t move yet.”

Fives sounded afraid. It was so unlike him that Echo made another effort to open his eyes. Fives was kneeling over him. His brother’s hands roved over his body to check him over. Fives looked haggard, like he hadn’t slept for a week. There were dark circles under his eyes and bruises across his face. 

“What…?” Echo croaked. Fives shook his head. 

“Don’t talk. You’re injured.”

Echo coughed. He could feel that much, at least. 

Actually… he couldn’t really feel anything at all, now that he thought about it. He was so  _ cold.  _

“Fffffives—”  
“I said don’t talk, di’kut,” Fives snapped. Echo tried to glare at him, but it was a weak attempt.

Force. Something was really wrong for Fives to be on edge like that. Echo swallowed nervously. He tried to reach out, to grab Fives’ shoulder and steady them both, but—

But—

Nothing. 

Echo blinked in confusion. He twitched and tried to move again, but his body didn’t respond _.  _ His limbs failed to obey him. 

He turned his head to the side and froze. 

_ His right arm was gone.  _ Not damaged, not tied down, not broken—completely _ gone. _

“Hey, hey!” Fives tapped Echo lightly on the forehead, but his fingers were quavering. Echo could feel the little tremors against his skin. “Don’t—don’t look at it, look at me, hey—”

Echo’s chest constricted. His arm.  _ His arm.  _

He tried to sit up, but—

He looked down and—

And—

His vision tunneled.

“Whoa, whoa! Echo, come on, stay with me! You’re alright, you’re okay—!”

Echo couldn’t really hear him. His gaze was fixed on the horrible stumps where his legs had once been. He was hyperventilating—in the rational part of his mind he knew it wouldn’t do him any good, but the panic clawing at his throat was enough to drive all rational thought out the window. Force, Force his  _ kriffing legs.  _ What good was a clone that couldn’t move? What good was a warrior that couldn’t fight? His chest heaved. He tried to thrash, because maybe—maybe he was imagining things, maybe it was some sort of dream, an illusion—!

Fives grabbed him tight and placed two hands on either side of Echo’s head. He tilted it so that Echo had no choice but to look Fives in the eyes. 

“You’re okay,” Fives told him fiercely. Pity and horror and fear and sorrow swirled in his eyes. Echo took a deep, shuddering breath. He reached for his brother with his remaining hand _.  _ Fives grabbed him and pulled him in closer so that Echo could wrap his arm around Fives’ shoulders. He buried his face into Fives’ collarbone and let out a muffled sob. 

He could feel the gaping absence of his limbs now—he was too light, off balance. Fives was keeping him steady, but Echo was shaking and shaking and he couldn’t seem to make it stop. 

_ Useless.  _ He could already see the decommissioning order. The GAR wouldn’t ever pay for cybernetics, not for a clone—he could always try to find some or build some but it wouldn’t be sanctioned and he couldn’t imagine that he could do it fast enough to avoid getting sent back to Kamino.

Black spots swarmed in the corners of his eyes again.

“ _ Kriffing _ —stop it,  _ look at me.  _ Echo! Look at me!”

Fives shook him hard enough that Echo jerked out of his spiralling thoughts. He stared at Fives numbly. The black spots faded away.

“Just—don’t think about it,” Fives ordered firmly. “You’re okay. You’re alive. You’re thinking too much again.”

Echo choked out a bitter laugh. Fives tightened his hold on Echo’s torso. 

“That’s it. Just keep your eyes on me, alright?”

Fine. Fine, Echo could do that. He met Fives’ concerned gaze. Fives grinned at him weakly. Echo focused on the bruising across his jaw. 

“What happened to you?” he muttered, body spasming just a little—but he was already starting to calm down. His limbs were still gone, but he was okay. He was alive, and Fives was with him, and that was the most important. 

Fives scowled. 

“Calm down completely first, and then I’ll tell you.”

Echo coughed again. It sent little ripples of pain down his spine. 

It took a while. Every time Echo thought he was starting to feel calm, everything would come rushing back without warning and he would find himself gasping in shock and horror once more. He clutched helplessly at Fives to try and ground himself. Fives was unyielding in his support. He ran his fingers soothingly over Echo’s back and spoke to him softly, talking him down from each wave of panic. Eventually Echo’s shivers subsided. 

“Okay?” Fives asked gently. Echo nodded. He felt drained. Fives let him go and lowered him slowly to the floor.

“Don’t move too much,” Fives said. “I don’t know how well they treated you, and I’m not gonna know how to fix you again if something goes wrong.”

“Who treated me?” Echo rasped. Fives grimaced. 

“Yeah… about that,” Fives breathed in deep and then sighed. “These guys called the ‘Techno Union’ captured us. Back at the Citadel. They put those clamps on you and it stopped the bleeding. I have to say I am grateful they did that, but I’m still pissed off at them,” Fives frowned.  _ And who knows, they may even try to hurt Echo, or both of us. So my gratefulness may dissipate later. _

“So, they brought us here while you were unconscious,” Fives continued. “And I have no idea what their true intentions are, other than...wanting the..” Fives’ voice drifted off and he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were filled with various emotions, but the most visible one was tension. “Echo, they want the algorithm. That’s what they want from us.” 

Echo winced. He eyed Fives’ bruises. 

“You don’t know the algorithm.”

Fives offered him a grin. 

“Nope. They think I do, though.”

Echo heaved out a sigh. “You’re an idiot.”

“Look, it was either that, or let them go after you, and you were kriffing unconscious,” Fives told him. “They think I know it, and we’ve got to keep it that way. I won’t let them hurt you.”

Echo huffed. “Of course you’d do that. I don’t want them to hurt you though. If they do it’ll be my fault—” Fives shook his head.

“No it won’t. I chose to grab their full attention from you and that’s what I intend to do. You know I'd protect you without hesitation. Especially since you’re injured and if they do something it’ll make it worse—”

“Fives— ” 

“Echo, look,” Fives said, interrupting him, “Don’t worry about me. Okay? Besides, I know it’s the right thing to do. Also, if they torture us then at least you won’t take the full brunt of it. It’ll be me. Not you. I rather it stay that way.” 

Echo sighed. “Thank you,” he said softly. “But you are still an idiot.” 

Fives laughed at that. He leaned against the wall behind him and closed his eyes again. His face twitched, and his lips pulled up into an amused smile.. “Oh, I know.”

The room was plunged into a moment of silence. Only Echo’s raspy breathing could be heard. It was a comforting sound. Like hearing rain fall on Kamino. Fives’ eyes twitched under his eyelids as he tried to think of a plan, but nothing came up. Not yet anyways. Echo stared at the ceiling, since he had nothing better to do; both of his legs were gone and one of his arms was also missing. He mentally made a list of everything that was a problem right now: 

_ One. We have no idea where we are. Two. I have missing limbs, isn’t that great. Three. I feel itchy....and dizzy. That’s not a good thing, is it? Four. I am parched. And Five. Heh, Fives seems to be deep in thought, I won't bother him with my problems right now, since we are already stuck in a bigger issue.  _

Echo blinked.

_ Force, I messed up, bad. I shouldn’t have gone for that ship. Now I got myself and Fives captured. This is all my fault, Fives can tell me all he wants if it’s not, but it is! And since I don’t have both of my legs anymore, or my right arm, I am practically and utterly USELESS.  _ Echo bit his bottom lip. It stung. The itchiness was becoming a problem and that was probably because of the burns.  _ The others weren’t with Fives when he found me which means they left, but if he found me then that means he defied orders...why did he _ —

“Hey, why don’t you get some rest? I can hear the cogs turning in your mind from all the way over here,” Fives told him with a small smile.“I know that you are trying to figure things out, but you shouldn’t be stressing about things. Just relax. You deserve that much, okay?” Fives stared at him. Eyes watching, observing, studying, trying to read Echo’s mind through his eyes. He was trying to understand his motives. 

Echo offered a weak smile back. “S-S-Sorry, I just...can't stop thinking. I don’t know. I’m...worried. What are they going to do to us?” His eyes, filled with worry, flicked back over and up to where his brother sat.

“To be honest with you, I am not entirely certain.” Fives paused. He looked over at the door and squinted, as if he was waiting for something...or someone. Then he returned his attention to Echo again. “Yeah. I don’t know. They have plans for us, that’s all the info I got from them. From what they… mentioned, I can also tell they won’t be lenient.”

Echo’s expression changed to something close to uncapped worry.

“Hey, hey, don’t do that okay. I will guarantee you this, I will make sure they won’t lay a finger on you—” Fives started to say.

“But you don’t know the algorithm Fives!” Echo hissed at him. He didn’t mean to, he was just frustrated that he was the one that had gotten them into this mess. An explosion of colored emotions was going off all at once inside of him before they frizzled away, hidden by a carefully placed facade that was slowly breaking.

“S-Sorry...” Echo looked away, ashamed that he’d yelled at his brother. 

There was a heavy cloud of tension hanging over them. They weren’t mad at each other, it was more like concerned, fearful, cautious, and many more things they couldn’t describe.

“If you lie and they find out, it’s over Fives. You know that.” 

Fives nodded promptly. “I know. But I have a plan. Just....sit back for me, okay. If they try anything...” That’s when a thought raced through his mind like a sharpened bullet. 

_ Right. I can’t reveal to them that Echo and I are close. If I do, they’ll use that against us as leverage. _

His eyes glided across Echo’s damaged body. His wounds were horrid, clamped down by metallic equipment; he was in pain, lots of it. Fives knew the Skakoans didn’t do much in getting rid of the pain he felt. The clamps were just there to keep him alive. If he died, then Fives would be left alone to their torturous devices.

_ But if Echo lives then he’ll still be left to them, alongside me. _

“Fives?” Echo’s voice brought him back to reality. Fives’ eyes were fixated on Echo’s arm.

“Yes, Echo?” he responded. His brother turned his head and then twitched.

Echo moved his hand to rest on Fives’ knee. “Are you okay? You keep drifting off.” 

Fives nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah. I am fine. Just...worried.” He looked to the door again. _ Force, I am so paranoid. But it’s not my fault! What if they come in here in our sleep and try and hurt us? Or take Echo away? Not on my watch!  _

“You shouldn’t be worrying like that, dikut. For now we are fine,” Echo reassured him. 

Fives glared at him as softly as he could. “Yeah, for now. And didn’t I tell you to go to sleep?” 

Echo scoffed and threw a rude gesture his way. “Screwww off! Force, look, I’m too worried to go to sleep. It’s not my fault.” 

“Heh, I know, you aren’t the only one who’s paranoid. But those guys aren’t coming back till tomorrow or whenever that is.” Time didn’t move within this room. It was almost as if they were frozen in time, stuck in a time pocket that annoyed Fives to no end.

“But we have to stay vigilant. They could come at any time. Just don’t worry about it, let me do the worrying. For now though, rest, Echo. Please? I’m serious! You can’t stay up with me or you won’t heal.” 

Echo nodded wearily. “I knowww. This floor is not the best to sleep on, you do know that, right?”

Fives chuckled.

“Yes, of course I do! It’s the worst isn’t it. Couldn’t even give us proper beds.” This made Echo laugh a little.  _ At least he hasn’t lost that. His voice. _

“Now shush! Go to sleep.” Fives hissed at him playfully with a jab of his finger. Echo chuckled and turned his head towards the opposite wall, away from Fives where he could watch him to make sure he was still breathing. 

_ Still breathing. _

Fives turned his attention back to the door and sighed heavily. The room was soundless. No one spoke. There was just the continual sound of Echo’s wheezing; Fives never wanted that to cease to exist.  _ Keep breathing buddy. _ Even though he couldn’t see his face at least the comforting lift and descent of his chest could be seen. The small pattern eased Fives into the back of his troubled mind. He smiled to himself and slowly squinted his eyes.

With Echo in his sights, what could go wrong?

* * *

  
  


Hours went by. Fives kept his ears open and eyes closed. He was tired and would need to rest his eyes if he was going to be able to save them both. Echo remained quiet and deep in a quiet slumber. This left Fives to his own internal thoughts. 

_ When they come back in here I have no doubt they’ll try and separate Echo and I. Who knows when that will be, in a couple minutes, a few hours, what if they come in right now?  _

Fives jerked his attention to the door nearby.

_ Nope. Good. they better stay out too.  _

Echo’s breathing pattern changed suddenly which heightened Fives’ senses to a higher level. He flicked his attention to his brother and sat there, his own intake of air paused, just for a moment. Echo let out a small sound. Fives pressed two fingers to his brother’s wrist to check for a change in his beating pulse. It was slightly quicker, but otherwise okay.

_ How much longer must I stay in here? I just have this urge to get up and rebel. Protect Echo at all costs, sneak us out of here, or fight our way out if I have to! _

_ Just when the time is right— _

The door slid open loudly. It jerked Echo awake and that alone pissed Fives off.  _ Kriff! They’re here!  _ He instantly moved closer to his brother, who whimpered and tried to sit up, but Fives lowered his trembling right hand, over Echo’s chest. Fives grit his teeth and almost snarled at the magnaguards that waltzed inside like they owned the place. Technically they did.

“Back off,” Fives ordered fiercely. The droids watched him carefully, staying at the edge of the cell while the Skakoan swept into the room again. Echo lifted his head weakly to watch. He glanced at Fives out of the corner of his eyes. Fives met his gaze and tried to send his brother a reassuring look. 

“Ah. The other clone is finally awake.”

“Watt Tambor. I can’t say I’m surprised,” Echo said. He kept his voice steady, although it was weak. “I thought I smelled something foul, and I was right.”

Tambor narrowed his gaze. 

“You’re in no place to displease me, clone. You will hold your tongue, or I will cut it out.”

Fives scoffed. 

“You would have done it already if that was a real threat.”

“Hm. Not the tongue, then. Perhaps this one’s remaining limb would suffice.”

Fives snapped his mouth shut and glowered at the Skakoan, baring his teeth. Echo went very still. Tambor laughed. 

“Very good. The Republic dogs come to heel.”

“And the Separatist scum continues to rot,” Fives snapped. Anger flared up white-hot in his chest. “You won’t get what you want from us. You might as well kill us already.”

Tambor ignored him. He snapped his fingers. “Take the injured one.”

The magnaguards stepped forward. Fives tightened his hold on Echo. They were—they were going to separate them. No, no—Fives couldn’t let that happen. Echo wasn’t doing well. He could put on a strong farce when the enemy was nearby, but Fives knew that his brother was struggling. They needed to stay together. 

He launched himself at the first magnaguard, determination thrumming through his veins. The magnaguard wasn’t expecting the attack and didn’t react fast enough. Fives wrapped his hands around the hilt of the electrostaff and tugged as hard as he could. The magnaguard’s grip was strong. Fives fought to tear it away and shouted when the electrostaff from the second magnaguard jabbed into his back. 

“Fives—!” 

Fives saw red. He twisted away from the pain, clinging stubbornly to the electrostaff. He kicked out and winced when his feet connected with solid metal behind him. He had to fight, he couldn’t let them touch Echo—

“Fives,  _ Fives! Stop!”  _

Fives jerked around. Echo was watching, eyes wide. Fives met his worried gaze and froze for a moment. The magnaguard took advantage of Fives’ reluctance. It’s gauntlet cracked hard against Fives’ brow. Fives’ head jerked to the side. He let go of the electrostaff and stumbled back, stunned. 

“It’s fine, Fives,” Echo said. His voice was hoarse. He was trying to sit up, but it was hard with only one limb, and he was struggling. Fives’ resolve wavered. 

“But Echo—!”

There was no guarantee the Techno Union would bring Echo back if they took him. Fives knew that Echo was right—they needed to play their cards right, and trying to protect Echo at this point wouldn’t get them anywhere. Fives couldn’t keep the magnaguards away. He would only injure himself by fighting them. But—Fives could help it. He was angry. He wanted to fight and struggle and tear the droids apart with his bare hands, not submit meekly for Echo to be taken. 

“I’ll be okay, Fives,” Echo promised as the magnaguards approached him. Fives took an aborted step forward on instinct, but the magnaguards jabbed their staffs in his direction. He jerked back with a curse. 

“Interesting,” Tambor hummed. “What would you do to protect your friend, clone?”

Fives sneered at him and didn’t respond. Tambor let out an intrigued sound, adjusting one of the dials on his chest for a moment. 

“Regardless, the clone will be returned to you this time. He is only being taken for a few medical procedures.”

“What kind of procedures?” Echo asked warily. He winced as the cold steel of the magnaguards pressed against his skin. They hauled him up.

“The kind that will keep you alive for longer, clone,” Tambor said. “I grow weary of this interaction. We will be taking our leave now.”

Fives jerked, eyes widened.

“Wait—kriffing—Echo—!”

There was no time to try and fight again. The magnaguards swept Echo up into their grasps and followed the Skakoan out the door. Fives dove for the exit, but the door slid shut before he could even get close. He slammed his fists into the door in frustration and barely contained panic. 

He was alone. He couldn’t do anything but pace around the room and wait.

Fives spent most of the time leaning against the wall.  _ Alone. All alone. _ But he would be fine, he thought, when Echo came back then he was going to come up with a plan with him. He was just hoping they didn’t hurt him even worse than he already was.

The passage of time was a non-existent blanket. It was driving Fives crazy, this silence was not what he wanted to hear, the white noise. The excruciating boredom danced along the edges of his scattered mind and thoughts, it was like watching paint dry. But WORSE. 

He sighed deeply before he stood up and started to walk around the outskirts of the cell. Round and round, he didn’t want his legs to become tired and fall asleep. The blood needed to keep moving so then if he needed to fight again or run, he'd be ready. No doubt about it! “Gedet'ye, waine jaon ni vod. Gedet'ye, cabuor ni vod,” he prayed to the Force. A sentient being unknown to him, something he couldn’t see or feel; it completely surpassed being metaphysical.

“And let us escape. Give me the strength to protect him.” Fives closed his eyes. “When he comes back I swear, I will kill all of them. They won’t take him away from me, not again. I almost lost him. I won’t again.” 

By his 15th or 20th round bout the room, Fives became anxious again. His fingers twitched by his side. He felt restless, exhausted, paranoid, felt like the quiet noise was swallowing him up like a crack in the plateau. Like an seismic earthquake that shattered the entire world, shook it to its core, and took everything with it. As though his thoughts were getting buried.

He hummed a little tune he’d heard multiple times at 79’s softly to himself.  _ I am literally going to go crazy. Isn’t that hilarious!?  _

_ No no no. I have to relax. Echo will need me and I have to be here for him. When they return him—if they return him—I have to be his rock, because those shabuirs will hurt him and I have to prevent that...which I can’t do, so I'll have to comfort him.  _

Fives' jerked his attention to the door when he thought he heard something. But it was nothing. He sighed restlessly.

_ If they think they'll subdue me and stop me from protecting Echo, they've got another thing coming. That's for sure!  _

The door slid open, rattling the metallic door frame and alerting Fives, who immediately jerked to face it and walked out to the middle of the cell. The Skakoan wasn't there this time, only the magnaguards. Fives laughed.

"Heh! Couldn't show his slimy–" He didn't even have time to finish that sentence before one of the magma guards smacked him, hard, right across the face at the velocity of a runaway speeder. 

Fives twisted to the side. He didn't even have enough time to turn his head with the lunch so it would absorb the impact; so he went flying a couple meters before he came sliding to a resting stop.  _ Ughhh, that kriffing hurt! _

The magnaguards, four silver giants, all walked into the room. The door slid closed behind them and the padlock turned red with a whirring sound.  _ Haar'chak. They've trapped me in here with them!  _ The guards started to surround him in a semicircle. Fives grinned confidently.

"So, you want to play games, huh?" 

The guards yanked out their staffs and thrusted them down towards the floor. The purple shock waves wrapped around the spiked edges threateningly. The guards glared at him with their twin red orbs, he could compare them to rare rubies found in the dryest desert of Tatooine. Tattered tarp like cloaks hung off their right shoulders. 

Fives sneered deviously. A shadow covered his face and it became unreadable, the scrunch of his fists cracked softly. He was kriffing pissed, and he was not having it. 

"Fine. Let's play. " He looked up and glared knives as sharp as blades at them. 

The first magma guard stomped forward, the metal clanking loudly with a mechanical whirr, and then the second guard moved at the speed of lightning. Fives dodged the first and spun around to kick it in the side. The metal made it hurt but he ignored the pain. 

The second grabbed him around his waist as the third approached them, it's electro staff crackling like a purple storm. Fives grit his teeth and struggled viciously to be released. He elbowed the kriffer in the faceplate and then he placed his hands behind its shoulder before he yanked the magnaguard in front of him. 

The second guard slammed into the third and they collapsed in a metal heap of twisted up bodies. Fives grinned with liveliness,  _ Ha! They don't stand a chance!  _

But he’d forgotten the fourth one. Banging sounds resonated off the flooring behind him. Fives twisted to look over his shoulder and yelped. Then the burning pain of metal slamming into his shoulder spread all up his right side. "Ack!" Fives rammed into the far wall and grit his teeth, one eye open in pain. 

The guard punched him. The sound of organic mass cracking against a metal wall reverberated throughout the room. Fives' ears rang. His vision wavered like he was drunk. The cell tipped dangerously as Fives raised his fists in front of his face. 

The second guard appeared on his left side out of nowhere, which startled Fives. It rammed it's cold metal knuckles into his ribs. There was a sharp crack. "Ugh!!"  _ Are their knuckles supposed to be THAT big?!  _ Another crack. Fives sank to his knees, and coughed. A copper tang stained his mouth. 

He groaned softly and glared up at the guards. Scarlet red crept it's way from the corner of his lips and journeyed down his chin. The first magma guard shoved its six foot silver rod onto his chest; all the oxygen in his lungs left in an instant. A gust of air rushed out of his throat. He gasped, trying to get it back.

A pain filled shriek, gullutal and thunderous, was ripped from his torn up throat. The guard backed off after eight seconds because the electric current wrapped around the staffs' heads was powerful enough to stop a beings' heart, if for more than five seconds of contact. 

You were the luckiest son of a gun in the galaxy, if you even managed to survive an electric current like that!

Fives’ intake of air was stifled. His heart was beating so fast. It pounded in his ears like rushing blood moving through his veins. And his hands were shaking so much, he couldn't stop it. 

The guard jammed the weapon into his shoulder and he screamed. Salty perspiration dotted and clung to his skin, he felt too dizzy, like he might pass out.  _ But I must fight.  _ The magnaguards backed off. Fives eyed them warily, he didn't trust them one bit. He wanted to be ready if they made a sudden move. He panted.

"Urgh,” Fives coughed, “What? You're done already?" he growled at them—urging them to continue their torture, if that's what they wanted.

"Come on!! Do it!" He coughed, straining against the pain flaring up his back. 

"Watt Tambor does not want you dead yet,” one for the guards said in an emotionless tone. Fives scoffed and pressed himself into the wall. 

"Tambor," he spat blood onto the floor between his legs, "is a kriffing  _ coward _ . " He chuckled and one of the guards retaliated, shocking him for two seconds too long. 

"Ugh!!" Fives threw his head back and then slumped forward, breathing very hard. He tried to catch his breath. The guards stood back, seemingly done with their torture. 

"Mmmm." Fives clutched his stomach in agony. He bit the inside of his cheek. It drew coppery streams quickly. 

"Tell me what you are doing to my brother!" he yelled. The guards turned the other cheek. They followed one after the other towards the exit, deactivating their staffs in the process. 

Fives tried to unfurl his legs from under him but he gasped in pain at the movement. He hissed and did not attempt to move again. 

"Tell me what you are doing to Echo! Now!" he demanded. 

They still ignored him. Each guard exited the cell and the door slid closed once again. The deafening silence was broken by the harsh inhales and exhales from Fives. each one brought massive amounts of rippling pain.  _ Broken ribs? Force, I don't even know anymore.  _

Fives coughed three times. His chest was wracked with lava, hot and burning ferociously, like an angry magma monster that screamed at him to stop moving. All that pain clawed its way up his esophagus and into his chest cavity. Like stubbing your toe on the corner of a baseboard! It felt like that but 10 times worse! But after the pain faded, realization truly smacked him in the face. And the pain wasn’t his only concern anymore.

It was the silence. It was too quiet. He wanted it to stop. Please.  _ I want to hear Echo's voice again, I want to be back with the 501st. With the Captain. With Jesse and Kix. Commander Cody.  _

Fives clenched and unclenched his aching fists on top of his aching knees. 

_ When I said this couldn't get any worse. I was wrong.  _

* * *

They didn’t give him any anesthesia for the pain. Echo hadn’t been expecting it, but he’d hoped that they would at least knock him out. They didn’t even give him that mercy, and it was a simple thing for them to pin down his one arm and go to work. Something was shoved in between his teeth. 

He bit down on it to stop himself from screaming while they did… something. He wasn’t even coherent enough to understand what they were doing. He was vaguely aware that they had removed the clamps from what remained of his destroyed limbs, but after that everything dissolved into fuzzy colors and sharp shapes and pain. 

He’d hoped to pass out, maybe, but he couldn’t manage that either. He was helpless to do anything but jerk as they worked. When time became no more than a distant memory and everything was a blur, they finally stopped. He would have been able to appreciate it more had the pause lessened the pain, but all it did was prolong it. 

A gloved hand reached out and grabbed his chin, tilting his head around. It removed the strip of material from his mouth. Echo immediately lunged at the fingers with his teeth, but he wasn’t quite fast enough. The hand withdrew.

“Charming,” Tambor drawled. Echo glared at his hazy form with all the hatred he could muster. “How is the operation proceeding?”

“His injuries have been stabilized, sir. But the unit will require more time to recover before we can continue,” one of the technicians answered.

Tambor huffed in displeasure. 

“There can be no delays. The clones are resilient creatures. And the sooner we get our hands on the information they carry, the better.”

Echo didn’t like the sound of that. 

“The kriff are you doing to me?” he snarled, and then let out a shout of pain when one of the medical operatives jabbed what remained of his legs, sending ripples of fire up his spine. They didn’t answer him. 

He couldn’t struggle. That was the worst part. He couldn’t even attempt to escape, because he only had one working limb. Everything Echo had ever been trained to do in his entire existence had been reliant upon him having full use of at _ least  _ two limbs. Echo only had one. He squeezed his eyes shut as the wave of shame and frustration swelled until it almost overwhelmed the pain. A harsh groan was torn from his throat. Tambor clicked his tongue. 

“Don’t fret, clone. With time you are to become one of the Techno Union’s greatest assets. It is a highly-valued position.”

“I’ll kill myself before that happens,” Echo rasped. The fingers on his one good hand spasmed against the cool steel of the table. 

“No, you won’t. You wouldn’t want to leave your unfortunate cell-mate in this position, would you?”

Fives. Echo wanted to yell in frustration. Echo couldn’t leave him here alone. 

But… if it were to come down to keeping Republic secrets or saving Fives’ life… Echo wasn’t sure what he would do. He knew that he might have to make that choice, and he wasn’t too keen on suffering the consequences of either. He knew what he was supposed to do, as a loyal soldier of the Republic, but he wasn’t just a soldier anymore. He was also a brother, and Fives was all he had left. 

Tambor had seen their connection, and he was planning on using it against them. Echo shuddered in dread. 

The whirring of a drill knocked him out of his stupor. He jolted in panic. No, no, they weren’t putting that thing anywhere _near_ him! 

“Hold him,” someone ordered, and then there were too many hands pressing him against the table, preventing him from moving. 

He didn’t actually feel the drill make contact with any part of him—his body decided that it had finally had enough, and he dropped headfirst into unconsciousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed this chapter! More will be coming soon! Thank you for your support! -meridanpony & AngelWars


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There is no pain greater than to be helpless in the face of a loved one's suffering."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! We're back for another chapter and a large serving of angst! Here we go!

Echo woke up to Fives’ concerned gaze above him, eyes wide and worried. Echo blinked up at him in confusion. There was a patch of dried blood clinging to his forehead. 

“What happened to you?” Echo mumbled. Fives snorted. 

“You just woke up and that’s the first thing you say?”

Echo ignored him and reached for Fives’ arm sluggishly, seeking the comfort of contact. Fives shuffled closer to oblige until they were pressed up against each other, sharing body heat. 

“They knocked me around a bit again. Pumped me full of lightning. Nothing new,” Fives answered. He said it casually, in the same way he might have said, “Hey, pass me those droid poppers,” or “What’s on the mess hall menu today?” Echo pulled him a little closer and winced in sympathy when he could feel tiny uncontrollable tremors wracking Fives’ entire body. 

“Doesn’t feel like it was ‘nothing new’,” Echo told him. Fives rolled his eyes half-heartedly. He was slumping over just a little. Whether it was in exhaustion or relief that Echo was awake, Echo couldn’t tell. 

“I’m alright, Echo,” Fives promised, running a careful hand over Echo’s spine. “What did they even do to you?”

“I...I’m not sure,” Echo said. He tilted his head to look down at his own body. There were shining metal implants connected at the base of each of his severed limbs. Echo felt his insides twist in horror. 

“What are they?” Fives asked. He tapped one with his knuckle. Echo jerked away. It didn’t hurt, but Echo didn’t want him touching it. Fives pulled his hand back and offered him an apologetic look. 

“They’re… ports,” Echo breathed. “Mechno-limb ports. So that they can attach replacements.”

“The Techno Union is  _ fixing you?” _

“I don’t think they’re doing it with the intent to fix me,” Echo said. “I… I don’t know. Nothing is making any sense. Tambor is planning something, but I can’t figure out what.”

Fives sighed long and low. 

“We’re gonna get out of here,” he vowed. “Whatever Tambor’s planning, we’re gonna be long gone before he can see it through.”

Echo… wasn’t so certain that was possible anymore.

“Yeah,” he murmured, and wished that he believed it as much as Fives did. “I hope so.”

* * *

  
  


Fives was leaning against the wall for what felt like the millionth time today. Echo was curled against his shoulder, quiet and breathing just fine; more or less. He was wheezing still but that wasn’t the biggest issue. As long as he wasn’t in pain….then Fives was okay. 

_ I am still trying to figure out how we’ll escape this place. I haven’t seen Tambor in a long time. He’s probably scheming and trying to plan his next move, what he’s going to do Echo next.  _

He looked over at Echo for a quick second and sighed.

_ Echo is back with me. For now, anyways, and then they’ll probably take him away from me again. But I will put up a fight this time, even if I’m hurt, and Echo is too; I just can’t sit idle while they hurt him. But for now….I’ll wait. I don’t know for how long but I have to. _

Echo whimpered in his sleep and tucked his face into his left shoulder. “Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay.” Fives whispered to him comfortingly. His brother went back to sleep again. No more sounds came from him the rest of the...evening? Fives didn’t know anymore.

Hours passed by. Fives let his guard down. He was absolutely exhausted, thirsty, hungry, he wanted food so badly. But he refused to beg for it. The door to their right slid open with a soundless ‘woosh’. Fives jerked awake and growled at the magnaguards that walked in. Their staffs were hefted at their sides. Echo opened his eyes and pressed himself into the wall.

“Get away from us!” Fives hissed. The guard ignored him, wrapping its metallic hand around his arm and teared him away from Echo’s grasp. 

“No! Echo!!” he yelled. Fives turned and punched, kicked, screamed, and tried so hard to fight back. But the guards were just too strong. Their bone-crushing grip tightened on his biceps. They shoved him all the way to the other side of the room and slammed him into the farthest wall. Echo cried out in pain when he was lifted off the floor roughly. Fives growled again. “You kriffers!! I’ll kill you if you hurt him, I swear I w-” Fives choked on the air when the hefty fist rammed right into his ribs with a crack.  _ Why right there? _

He slumped forward. The guard was the only thing that kept him from falling to the floor. One of his eyes slid shut as pain racked through his muscles, burning like he was on fire. His legs hurt so much. There were three guards around Echo and four around himself. 

_ What are they planning? _

The magnaguard in front of Echo activated its electrostaff, shaking it downwards at its feet. The weapon turned on with a crackling violet storm. The glow created a small circle of light that appeared on the floor. Echo’s eyes widened in fear. He glanced up at Fives and then returned his gaze back down at the staff in front of him. It was too close. Way too close for comfort.

“Don’t hurt him. Don’t,” Fives begged. The second guard on his side activated its own staff as well. So now there were two armed threats; ready to pounce and cause a lot of damage and pain. Fives wasn’t scared for himself, more for his brother.

“You will remain silent, clone,” the guard’s toneless voice rumbled beside his ear. Then the taller droid walked out into the middle of the room. Fives didn’t like this. They seemed to already know exactly what they were going to do.

The guard on his left stared at him. Fives grit his teeth and threw his head back as pain struck him without warning. The staff had snuck up into his blindspot. He hadn’t even been able to prepare himself for the blinding agony that clawed up his sides. 

The droids encircling Echo start to shift around, blocking him from Fives’ view. Fives slumped forward and breathed heavily. He refused to scream. 

“F-Fives...F-Fives?!” Echo yelled and then one of the droids’ slammed its claw against his mouth and twisted his chin up so it was nearly impossible for Echo to even look at Fives. “Mmm. Mmm!!” His yells still could be heard, but they were muffled. 

“You son of a-” Fives was jabbed by the staff again. Burning. Burning. So much burning. Like a monster shredded up your body and dragged you under the bed in the middle of the night. Like your greatest fear was upon you and you had no way of escaping. Force, the sensation was crippling and heavy, on his chest, his legs, how was that even possible? The staff wasn’t even near his legs, even still the pain made its way down there like a dawdling wildfire. The worst part was the speed, because the pain was just SITTING there and not moving.

Then it was gone. Or at least the worst of it. All that was left was an aching throb rippling across his entire torso. If it was possible to see pain, Fives’ pain would have resembled when you skip a rigid and spiked stone across a red river; the surface rippled and moved out in different directions away from the impact zone. The electro-staff was the stone, and the water, the river, was Fives. He panted. 

Echo fought against the arms holding him back. 

“Fives? Fives are you okay?” he whispered. Concern and worry shook Fives right down to his weakening core. Fives’ facade was breaking. Slowly. And it kriffing hurt. 

“Gah! Ah, ah, Mmm fine, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, Echo, it’s okay.” He looked up and met Echo’s gaze. His brother’s eyes, normally filled with wit and calm, now spazzed out in utter fear and uncapped pain. The staff got closer to Fives’ side again. Echo yanked forward to try and get to him but was pressed further against the wall. Echo whimpered and then opened his mouth to say something in protest but the look Fives gave him shut him up quickly. Echo read his eyes.  _ Don’t Echo, please.  _ Echo sank against the wall and looked away. Fives smiled to himself with relief painting his features like a haunting canvas. 

The staff came back. Full force.

Pain rippled in his appendages once more. Fives tried to get away from it but he couldn’t go anywhere. His nose was flaring from the speed of intaking air. 

Echo’s eyes stung from the tears collecting in the corners. Another staff,  _ A second?! No, it’ll kill him! Please don’t,  _ tapped him on his calf and Fives screamed, raw and powerful.

And it all came to a rapid stop. The electrocution ended. Fives heaved too fast, too quickly. Small moans slipped from his chapped lips, and he curled into himself. Echo fought the overbearing desire to slam his elbow into the nearest droid’s face and destroy it with his bare hands. “Force, force...F-Fives?” The tall droid in the middle of the room waved its hand to its side, the third and second droid around his brother drifted away over to him. Echo tried to get a good look at Fives but the kriffing droids blocked his view. Their red eyes stared Echo down. There was no emotion in them. 

Each and every magnaguard at least a foot away from him activated their staffs at the same time. Echo flinched away. 

“E-Ech-echoo…” Fives moaned in despair, and then he hugged himself. Echo had only a couple seconds to brace himself for the burning impact. The tallest droid in the middle of the room faced Fives.

“Make him watch,” it ordered. 

One of the droids surrounding Fives yanked his chin up. Fives twisted his face away because he did not want to watch this, but they forced him to. He choked on air and felt like he wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He had to stay strong. The electrical storm of purple lightning got too close. It caused the suffocating air around Echo to crackle and pop from the static; the spikes of violet bolts zipped all over the cold and unforgiving staff. Then they thrusted the weapon forward, right into his abdomen. Echo grit his teeth and his muscles tensed up. He fought the urge to scream.

Pain. Pain. Red and violet mixed so beautifully in front of him, the glow was vibrating. How could something so hurtful and so threatening be so gorgeous? The lightning danced across his tan skin like ballerinas. Long jumps, leaping from one leg of spiked bolts, and then landing on the alternate leg of heat, whilst the Assemblé made a jump and landed on both spiked ends. Tying up the ends flawlessly. Salty water burned at the corners of his eyes. The dam inside his mind was cracking, slowly, like when an earthquake rocked a stable base apart, right to left, trying to knock the thing down to the ground, letting the water flow freely from its imprisonment.

The guards backed off. Echo caught the glimpse of the uncensored horror displayed across Fives’ face like a black and white painting. It was overwhelming, so much so that he didn’t even know where to look first. The golden light in Fives’ eyes that used to spring with confidence and determination, something an ARC displayed, was all gone, leaving a dim color behind. The skin around his eyes crinkled up in distress. Fives wanted so badly to beat the guards to a pulp, wrap Echo up into a protective embrace, and get him as far away from here as possible.

“E-Ec...Ech-” Fives voice broke off into a coughing fit.

Echo found his breath again and groaned to himself. The droids were giving him a moment to collect himself, but why? What was their true goal? What were they aiming for? 

The staff came back and Echo felt the dam break.  _ No. N-No.. _ Tears pricked his eyes before they made their way down his pale and hollowed cheeks. He could taste the salty droplets sting his lips, but that did nothing to bring warm comfort or tie him down to reality; it only brought cold pain. It was so cold. Echo whimpered when the first guard brought one staff to his neck, and then another guard pressed theirs into the nubs on the end of his damaged leg. That broke him.

A tearing scream ripped from his throat so violently, he startled even himself. He made an attempt to desperately drag himself away but the droids held him. Echo tossed himself from right to left, choking on a sob.

Fives yelled. “STOP!! S-Stop!” Fives pushed against the first guard in front of him and Echo screamed again, deafening his ears. Fives was really worried about him. The second magnaguard raised its right wrist and slammed it into Fives' neck, pinning him against the wall. The tall droid waved its hand again and they stopped their tormenting abuse. 

Echo clawed at his chest and hyperventilated. The vibrant worry that an older brother possessed clawed at its confines within Fives’ chest, growling and roaring at the oppressors. Echo slowly, so very slowly, tipped his chin up and stared at Fives with raw pain and desperation swimming in his faded eyes. Three guards left his side and returned to the other side of the room to where Fives was held back. The tall magnaguard in the middle turned its gaze back onto Echo. 

The magnaguards activated their spiked staff again. Fives came to a terrifying epiphany that washed over him like cold water dribbling down his spine. 

_ They start off with one staff, they’ll shock one person for a full minute or until they fail to scream in pain. Then if they fail to scream, they transition to two electro-staffs. If that successfully makes someone scream, which it always does, then they’ll switch off. They’ll go and shock the other person.  _

Fives shivered.

_ S-So….we get shocked until we scream, if we scream, then they go shock the other person. And it’ll continue for who knows how long, but they can’t p-p-possibly keep this up forever. The shocks...they may kill us. Right? _

He took a good look at the droid closest to him. His gaze flicked down to the metal staff in their tight grasp and Fives groaned to himself in exasperation.  _ Nope. Kriffing staffs aren’t the ones that can kill. Low voltage class. Haar’chak.  _

Fives felt all his pent up anger swirl. It had gone from a tiny little rain cloud to a devious and rickety storm. Soon it would become a whole kriffing hurricane in a minute if this karkin’ continued. The look on Echo's face was what was breaking him, not the pain, not the electro-staffs—but his little brother’s pain. It was tearing him in two, clawing at him like a fiery titan that was threatening to rip him in half. 

_ It’s just a kriffing game to them, I don't know if this is the Skakoans’ doing; if his orders are to break us. _

Fives could sense the sharp tremble going up Echo’s spine. He watched it like a lifeguard observing the ocean out in front of them, checking to make sure there was no abnormal current to drag civilians back into the ocean’s merciless grasp.

Echo’s pain was like that ruthless current . Its strong grasp was like metaphorical claws that dug into the fragile skin of the drowned victim. Then the current tugged on Fives’ legs and arms, and tossed him around like a simple ragdoll. This current— Echo ’s suffering—smacked him around until he lost complete control over his own breathing, and he choked raggedly. He reached up towards the sun’s rays, but the ocean’s aqua marine blue slowed his movements down considerably; the world decelerated.

Then cold dread, as cold and salty as the ocean, washed over him and practically suffocated him.  _ Force, it hurts, just watching them hurt him. I can’t do anything about it and it pisses me off.  _ The pain was painted on Echo like thick stripes of ebony black and white, like a paradoxical canvas of the unadulterated anguish. 

In the corner of Fives’ eye, he noticed that the tall magnaguard raised its hand, ordering the three extra droids to move onto him again. 

_ Kriff. Here they come, my turn again. I can’t DO anything! _

Echo yelled for them to stop, again, but the guard left beside him violently smacked him across his cheek. Fives growled and snapped his jaw out at nothing, just the air. Echo whimpered and slumped into the guards’ hold; he didn’t pass out, he was just in pain. Defeated. Silenced. Fives hated it. Three guards, the same kriffers, encircled him and shook their electro-staffs down once again, ready to torture Fives until he screamed.

It would hurt. Fives knew it, and he was trying really hard to mentally and physically prepare himself, but he was hardly ready to brace his facade. The magenta sparks electrified the staff menacingly. It hummed softly because of their low voltage levels. The originally cold air around Fives crackled and popped with static from the electrical charge. It made the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end stubbornly, instinctively. The daunting, vibrant, and heated glow, swam in his eyes; filled with the cracking attempt to conceal his spiking and rebelling terror. 

Fives’ third turn ended rather well. He managed to not scream at all. It was painful, of course, but he still did not scream which meant Echo wouldn’t get his turn. The guards were not fazed by this development or change in their plans. Instead they all looked to the tall magma guard in the middle of the room before two of the guards around Fives walked over to the door and left. Fives was confused, too shocked to say anything. Then one of the guards around Echo left as well.

There were only three magnaguards left. One holding up Fives, one holding up Echo, and then the tall leader in the center of the domed room.The droid that had Echo pushed up against the wall drew a sharp blade from its back and pressed it against Echo’s fragile skin, right over his adams apple. Fives gulped and looked at the tall one questioningly.  _ This is new. And I don’t like it.  _ Fives gulped. The droid that held Fives up let go of him suddenly and he crumpled to his feet. Once they touched the floor, he almost fell to his knees, panting.

Fives glared knives at the droid as it backed up with a vigilant stare. Its eyes were emotionless and scarlet like red blood. The leader raised its claw. The remaining droid dropped Echo and left. Fives stepped forward but the droid just stared at him menacingly, keeping him at bay. The leader left after the last cronie. The door slid closed and Fives stared at the floor where the leader used to be. He was frazzled, mind blank of any thoughts or emotions; he’d even forgotten they had let go of Echo as well, who fell unceremoniously to the floor a while ago. Fives growled at their oppressors. Echo coughed and leaned his side against the wall. The nubs where his legs were supposed to be trembled from all the adrenaline ramping through his body.

“F-Fives...Fi…” Echo coughed and stared at his brother. Fives’ eyes were empty and soulless, lacking any of that spirited and brilliant color it used to have. Fives jerked his attention to Echo and stepped forward, but then he fell to his knees once he even got a couple meters in. Echo slid down to meet the floor and he placed his hands on the nub stumps. Fives wheezed and shook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness from his vision.  _ Echo needs me. I need him.  _ Fives tried to lift himself up on shaky feet, but something stopped him. His body was still twitching. 

_ Muscle spasms. _

Fives also noticed his chest felt really heavy. Pain laced itself like spider webs from all the places he got shocked and it spread in different directions, reaching to every appendage, which caused breathing difficulty. His heartbeat was scarily irregular. 

Echo shivered. He felt so cold. And his remaining limbs wouldn’t stop twitching. He was certain that he had gotten a headache. 

“H-Hold on, E-Echo. I gotta....” Fives glanced up at him and instantly regretted it. His vision went all tipsy, like he was drunk. He lowered his head so he stared at the floor instead. If he looked up again then he would most likely pass out and that COULD NOT happen. No matter what. A couple minutes had passed and finally his vision stopped shaking like he was on a rocking ship. Fives sucked in an intake of air, then he stood up on wobbly legs again, and made his way over to his brother. Echo was watching him the entire time while he tried to gather himself and breathe—which was a lengthy process—but Fives managed. 

Fives stumbled over and collapsed next to his little brother. 

“F-Fives? Come here, are you okay?” Echo asked while he helped him sit down. He steadied him as he lowered him to the floor. Fives huffed afterwards, like the mere action of getting on the floor was tiring. 

“I’m-” He coughed. “I am okay. Echo, are you—are you o-okay?” He swallowed to get rid of the dry feeling tickling his throat. Then he placed a hand on Echo’s shoulder to check him over. There wasn’t much he could do. His pupils were blown, yet dull. Fives exhaled and stared down at his fingers on Echo’s right shoulder.

They were shaking. He sighed. 

“F-Fives…” Echo breathed. His voice was rendered to a mere whisper, like a fragile willow tree, with its beautiful long green vines waving in the strong wind. This fragile willow was desperately trying to not bend over to the violet storm around it. Tears burned  Echo’s  eyes and then before he knew it, he was crying softly, soundlessly. The droplets raced down his cheeks. Echo leaned his forehead against Fives’ shoulder for support and warmth. 

“I-It hurt Fives. It hurt so bad. Force,” he sniffled and tried to wipe his tears. “I’ve never felt anything like it. I couldn’t b-b-breathe after the second r-round.” Echo felt more tears exit his eyes and his brother wiped them away without hesitation.

“I know. I know, force, I’m so sorry.” Fives whispered. One lone tear made its way down his face as well, mirroring his brother’s pain. “Gar cuyir oi jii. Val cuyir dar. Shh, Ni’ve nao gar jii, vod. Bic’s oi at crio. Bic’s oi. Ni kar’taylir bic huetes. Shi haalur.” He comforted and reassured Echo the best he could, while the other focused on breathing. 

“It still hurts, Fives... I don’t know what to do!” Echo was becoming hysterical from the exhaustion, the lack of sleep, the shocking pain... and now his own older brother had gotten electrocuted along with him. It was too much to bear.

Fives rubbed his back and hugged him. He was not spared the trembling in his own body, he felt it too, it was like he was still getting electrocuted.  _ Phantom pain. But I can’t focus on that now. Echo is my #1 top priority!  _ “Haalur ti ni. Breathe. Haalur ti ni.” He guided him through the process of focusing on anything but the throbbing pain gathering in his bones. Echo curled against his left side and inhaled his scent. Fives always calmed him down considerably, now wasn’t any different. Echo’s breaths rattled in and out. And Fives continued to rub his back for however long Echo needed him.

Finally, Echo calmed down. His eyes were unseeing and scarce of any lingering spirit. Fives wasn’t sure if Echo had broken yet because of this or not. Fives wasn’t even sure about himself anymore. He still wanted to fight, of course, but at what cost? It could hurt his brother more than himself. He refused to do that. A few minutes into their shared silence, Echo’s shuddered breaths eased out into something calmer. Fives recognized that breathing pattern from any vod.  _ He’s asleep.  _

It was quiet. Only broken by the occasional tremble in Echo’s inhales and exhales. Fives hoped he didn’t have any nightmares. It might have seemed like Fives was just closing his eyes and resting them, but believe it or not, the ARC was actually planning. No, he wasn’t going to sit there and allow this to continue. The longer it did, the longer Echo suffered, and Fives had to remain strong; even if he screamed in pain or tried to fight back against the guards.

He peered down at his little brother, curled against his side. Wifts of air exited from his nose. His face twitched and then he returned to rested ease once again. _ He’s strong. He may feel pain and scream like I do, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are strong. And we’re still fighting. _

Fives tapped Echo’s left hand, which rested across his lap. He interlocked their fingers. It brought him peace and comfort if he felt his brother while he rested his eyes. Ebony spots raided his vision like a wave of dark spirits and he slowly closed his eyes. 

His thumb stayed nestled against Echo’s radial pulse.

* * *

  
  


They took Echo away again. 

At least, that was what Fives assumed had happened, because when he woke up, he was alone again. He had to fight away panic. He wasn’t sure what that meant, or what they could possibly be doing to his brother. The possibilities were endless and he was afraid for Echo’s safety. He didn’t understand what Tambor wanted anymore. The Skakoan was toying with them, and he was barely even asking for information at this point. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive to their imprisonment, but Fives had yet to figure out what that could be. 

He was certain that Echo was the key, though. That much he knew for sure. There was no reason for the Skakoans to be fixing Echo, or preparing him to hook him up with artificial limbs. It didn’t make a lick of sense. Fives was worried for what it might mean.

It hurt to move. His body ached in ways that he had never felt before. His muscles spasmed involuntarily—aftershocks from the magnaguard’s electrostaffs. The novelty of electric torture had long since worn off. 

He was certain that Echo felt the same. Wherever his brother was, Fives hoped that he could be strong.

* * *

“You know,” Echo said through gritted teeth, “Even if whatever you’re trying to do works, it won’t benefit you at all.”

Tambor seemed amused. 

“What makes you say that, clone?” he asked smugly. “I have every bit of confidence in our new technology.”

Echo scowled at him, shifting his weight a little on the metal table he had been strapped down to once again. 

“The Republic changes their codes when operatives have been compromised. Any information that we have will be irrelevant even if you could get us to talk.”

“But you’re dead to the Republic, fool.” Tambor waved one hand dismissively in the air. “They won’t change the algorithm. It has proven too effective against Separatist forces, and as far as they know, it hasn’t been compromised yet.”

“And it won’t be,” Echo growled at him. He tried not to flinch as a medical droid wheeled close and jabbed a hypospray into his neck. Echo didn’t know what they were planning, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. He had a feeling they weren’t just giving him artificial limbs.  _ There’s something darker to this. _

“We shall see, clone,” Tambor hummed. He still sounded all too pleased with himself. The edges of Echo’s vision started to go a little fuzzy. He inhaled in surprise—they were sedating him. He would have killed a man for anesthesia the first time he’d gone under the Techno Union’s knife, but this time… something wasn’t right. He didn’t want to be unconscious. He jerked his head back against the metal to try and stave off the sedative, but he could feel it seeping into his mind, clinging to his thoughts like cobwebs. 

“What are you gonna do?” he forced out. His lips didn’t move like he wanted them to, forming the words clumsily. 

“No, I don’t think I’ll tell you,” Tambor drawled slowly. “You will find out soon enough.”

Echo fought to keep his eyes open, but it was in vain. The sedative coursed through his veins and his eyelids went heavy. It was all over after that. 

His head hurt.

He couldn’t see, couldn’t move, but there was an awful pain lancing through his skull that didn’t stop. 

“The neural connection is too weak,” he heard, as if from a long way away. Echo felt something  _ tug  _ deep inside his head. It was disorienting. Something was wrong. What were they doing to him?

“Then strengthen it, you useless moron!” Tambor hissed impatiently. “It should be working by now! We don’t have time for these kinds of setbacks!”

“But sir, it isn’t stable! If we try to force the connection now, the subject won’t survive!”

Echo felt like he was drifting. Not surviving didn’t sound good. There was another awful tug at his brain, sharp and nerve-wracking. Echo hissed as the pain sent sun-bursts skittering across the back of his eyelids. It hurt, but he couldn’t figure out why. 

“Why. Isn’t it. Stable,” Tambor snarled. “Fix it, now!”

“It’s out of our control, sir! The subject needs time to adjust to the additions—”

“Like I said, time is something that we  _ do not have.  _ Count Dooku is breathing down my neck for these results. It will be my head if we fail, and that means it will be  _ your  _ head as well!”

There was a pointed silence. Echo tried to open his eyes, but his body was unresponsive. His head still hurt. 

“Sir. The subject should at least  _ begin  _ to stabilize within a minimum time frame of three hours. If we could at least wait that long, I could guarantee that the connection will improve. If we force it now, we’re risking the unit going catatonic, and then we’ll lose the entire asset.”

Tambor made a low sound of displeasure.

“Very well. Three hours. Tell the guards they aren’t to touch the prisoners while we wait. I won’t have this hardware damaged. It was far too expensive to risk now.”

Echo felt a pressure on the back of his skull. Something pinched, and then a rush of fire darted down his spine. Echo could move, suddenly. He arched away with a startled cry. 

He felt wrong. Like something was missing, like he was too exposed, like there were holes in his skin. He felt his breathing pick up. There were little spots of cold pain all down his back, across his neck, at the rear of his skull. They sent licks of agony through his body. When arms wrapped around his torso to pick him up he thrashed away instinctively, but he didn’t get very far before he was restrained. 

The guards carried him back to his cell. Echo wasn’t coherent enough to remember half of the return. When he was finally set down, he curled in on himself and struggled to keep from shouting. He could hear Fives’ voice, loud and frantic with worry. 

“Echo! What did they do? What is this—!”

One of Fives’ hands grazed one of the spots where the pain originated from on his shoulder. Echo bit down on a cry and jerked away. Fives recoiled. 

“Echo—kriff,  _ kriff  _ this is bad—”

“Fives?” Echo mumbled. He forced one eye open just enough to see his brother’s blurry outline in front of him. Fives placed a gentle hand on Echo’s forehead. He made a panicked sound.

“Force, you’re burning up. What—they—there’s metal  _ everywhere.  _ I don’t know what to do!”

Echo let his eye drift shut again. There was… something important. Something that he needed to tell Fives. His thoughts were slipping away just as fast as he could think them.

“Three hours,” he forced from his numb lips. “Tambor said…”

“Three hours?” Fives repeated in a panicked voice. “Three hours until what? Hey, don’t fall asleep. Stay with me!” He reached out to touch Echo again but Echo flinched away. He hurt too much, he didn’t want anyone else touching him, it would just make things worse—

“Gonna come back,” Echo slurred. Fives growled. 

“They’ll have to get through me, first. You can’t take much more of… whatever  _ this  _ is, Echo. It’s like they’re turning you into a machine! They’re gonna kill you!” 

Echo let out a weak groan. Turning him into a machine…? He didn’t—he couldn’t focus right. What was Fives talking about...? What had Tambor done? He felt drained of all energy. He couldn’t even open his eyes, and his entire body still felt  _ wrong.  _

“Hey! I need that brain of yours. Come on, don’t fall asleep. Not yet. You hear me?”

Echo heard him, but he was too tired to obey. The floor was motionless underneath him, but Echo felt like he was spiralling, stumbling, diving down into suspended unconsciousness—he couldn’t hold on any longer… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading! There's more to come!   
> -meridianpony and AngelWars :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives fell into a defensive stance the instant the doors opened again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, here is the next chapter of the collab between angelwars11 and meridianpony! Enjoy!

Fives fell into a defensive stance the instant the doors opened again. Three hours had passed by far too quickly. Echo hadn’t shown any improvement, and Fives knew that whatever the Techno Union had planned wasn’t going to make anything better. The magnaguards were unfazed when he bared his teeth at them and planted himself firmly in front of Echo’s still form. He didn’t charge them, though. This time, he was going to make them come to him. 

Fives had plenty of muscle mass, but it couldn’t be compared to a droid’s mechanical grip. Even though Fives lashed out and tried to hold his ground when they approached, it wasn’t enough. His fists only glanced across cool and unmalleable metal. He was picked up by his throat and dangled unceremoniously in the air as the rest of the guards took Echo away. 

Fives didn’t trust them. They’d returned Echo to him so far, but he knew that Tambor’s plans had been advancing fast. He didn’t know why, but he had the awful feeling that they wouldn’t be bringing his brother back this time around. He kicked out and struggled against the droid that was crushing his throat, but he couldn’t get free. 

When it finally dropped him, he fell to the floor, gasping frantically for air. He staggered to his feet, but he couldn’t chase after them fast enough. The door slid shut and the locks engaged. 

He had a bad feeling about this. It was time to stage an escape. They wouldn’t last much longer here. He needed to get Echo and get out before things could worsen any further. 

He’d never been taken out of the cell before. He had no idea how the base was laid out, but he was desperate enough that the fact wasn’t a deterrent. He needed to do something. Echo looked more and more like a machine every time he came back, with metal implants down his back, across his chest, and drilled into his skull. Fives didn’t like what that could imply. There wasn’t time to worry about a clean escape. ARC troopers were trained to be inventive, to think on their feet, and that was what Fives was going to do. 

He positioned himself near the door and settled down to wait with all the patience of a predator on the hunt. He hoped that the next time the door opened, it would be the droids returning with Echo again, but he wasn’t so sure. It was just as likely that they would return to either torture him again or finally put him out of his misery. 

He waited. And waited. 

* * *

Echo felt hot all over. But there was a cold feeling of dread sitting like a giant rock in his stomach. Metal claws dug into his shoulders and biceps. The rough floor scraped against his knees, it hurt just to have them brush against one another. 

Echo had no idea where he was. He last remembered a soft voice, masculine, familiar, and fond, talking him down from whatever horrific pain he felt before; but now he found himself….here? Wherever here was. 

His head was throbbing with a terrible headache. Echo felt delirious. There used to be a voice that had told him to stay awake, but that voice wasn’t there anymore. Instead, there was emotionless, monotone rumbling. 

“Hurry and get him inside.” 

There was the telltale ‘swoosh’ of a door opening and then a chill rolled up his sensitive spine nodes. The breeze created by the opening door caused his teeth to start to chatter. His jaw tensed up.

“On the table. Attach the wires and connection tubes. It should immediately start to connect to the system. Once it does, get it prepped to be put inside the stasis chamber.” 

A distant voice. Something deep within him, a small grey part of his brain, told him that the person talking was dangerous.  _ Must not. Can’t. No.  _ But Echo wasn’t sure what that small part of him was even going on about. 

Cold plastic pressed against his naked back. His skin was very sensitive to any touch, so his skin itched badly. It wouldn’t go away—it burned like fire—but he was too far gone to try and struggle against the hands tugging at the back of his head. Echo was just...tired. He clenched his fingers around the flimsi to make a crinkle sound. It was familiar, he liked that sound. But why? Why did he like the sound of crackling flimsy? There had to be a reason! But the thought slipped from his mind as quickly as it came. 

Another tug. The hands on his biceps let him go.

“It won’t struggle, it’s too weak to even try this time.” The deep voice, a very warblized voice, originated from somewhere off to his right. Echo turned his head just so to see where it was coming from but—there was another unforeseen tug.

“Ack!”

“Don’t move, clone!” An angry, intimidating voice came from behind him. It was too close to his ear. Echo shivered and obeyed. But there was this warm tug in his chest that told him:  _ Don’t! Don’t obey!  _ But he did anyway. He was too tired to fight back. 

This last tug was a lot more forced. There was a sharp snapping sound. And then there was pain. Echo yelped. He tossed himself left and right weakly, he couldn’t exactly flip himself over onto his stomach. Out of his peripheral, electricity flashed at the connected wires and rolled up into his skull port. 

“Ugh!” His fingers twitched and curled inwards. Echo felt lighter and heavier at the same time. How was that even possible? Something was wrong. He didn’t feel good. He felt sick. Why couldn’t he move his limbs? 

“The connection was a success, sir. It’s ready to be deposited inside of the stasis chamber,” the robotic voice warbled from his left. 

Echo whimpered. His jaw clenched up. His body was wracked with tremble after tremble. He made himself go absolutely still. 

“Put it inside. We don’t have all day.” 

_ Cold. Cold. Bad. Bad.  _

Echo felt himself get lifted. The sudden altitude change made his head swim. Black spots cornered his vision. His skin felt too tight, like it wasn’t his own; he felt cold and hot, and he just wanted whoever they were to leave him alone! He caught the blurry glimpse of a rusty beige container in front of him. A small circular window was in the middle of this device. There were no handles, which meant no one could let out whoever was inside. 

Icy fog drifted out of the contraption when the door opened. Echo was lifted inside. Blurry figures were typing away at a computer console below him, yanking on levers, and there was a tall man behind them all. His hands were crossed behind his back. Echo knew him. He knew him! Realization hit him a bit too fast. His eyes widened, and then exhaustion forced his body to go limp.  _ No no. I have to get out! This is a trap.  _

_ But I can’t get out. _

The door was closing. He was cold. It was an unwelcome sensation that made him quiver. The glacial fog exited out of every crevice within the prison, it surrounded him and put him to sleep. The door slammed shut with a loud click. Echo inhaled and exhaled quickly. 

_ Fives. Fives. No. They will kill him if I am in...in… _

His train of thought slipped again. 

_ What? Where am I?  _

Freezing fog appeared on the circular view glass once the water droplets came into contact with the below-freezing surface. Everything began to be coated in ice. Echo shivered. 

_ Fives. Fives. No.  _

The wires were activated, and that was it for Echo. His entire body stiffened and then he lost all control of his body and subconscious mind. He gasped in pain, whimpered, and his vision tipped forward. All working limbs, organic or prosthetic, completely went lax, like dough. Rendered useless. Words and coding start to stomp every other subconscious thought out of his mind without hesitation. And the last thing he could even think was:

_ Fives. _

* * *

They didn’t bring Echo back. Fives started to grow anxious. He held his position by the door, but his palms were sweaty, and he was having a hard time holding completely still. 

When the door finally slid open, the first magnaguard stepped inside and hesitated for a brief moment when Fives wasn’t in his usual spot against the back wall. The moment of distraction was all Fives needed. He launched himself forwards and ripped the electrostaff from the mangaguard’s grasp. The magnaguard recoiled. It tried to punch him, but Fives jabbed the electrostaff into the droid’s chest. The intense electricity caused the droid to short out. It crumpled to the ground. The other two magnaguards waiting outside the cell recoiled. Fives twirled the electrostaff with a challenging sneer on his lips. 

“Come on, you clankers, what’s the matter? Scared now that your prisoners can actually fight back?”

They charged him. Fives jerked himself to the side to avoid the first blow and raised his staff to deflect the second. His arms ached in protest. The recent torture hadn’t been kind to him. He ignored the burn and pushed out to knock the droid’s staffs away and struck low. His electrostaff clipped the droid’s hip joint. The droid let out a garbled burst of static and swung at him again. Fives ducked himself into a roll and came up on the droid’s other side. 

The door was still open. They’d been so surprised by his attack that they hadn’t been able to close it before going on the defensive. Fives was trying to be realistic. As impressive as it would be to defeat magnaguards, it would likely be more difficult than anticipated. Instead of attacking them again, he dove for the door. One of the droids tried to get in his way, but Fives speared the electrostaff into its chest as hard as he could. Circuits gave beneath him. Fives jerked the staff free and shot out the door. When the droids tried to follow him, he slammed his fist into the control panel. The door slid shut. The droids were locked inside. 

“Taste of your own kriffing medicine,” Fives spat, readjusting his grip on his electrostaff. He glanced around. He was in the middle of a detention center. The hallways were narrow and dimly lit, but the glow of the electrostaff helped him to see. 

The cells were opaque. He couldn’t make out if there were other prisoners inside, though that wasn’t even close to his first priority. He needed to find Echo. The droids weren’t going to tell him where his brother was, so he needed to find someone who could be… _ convinced… _ to give him directions. And explain to him whatever they were doing to Echo. 

He managed to find the exit to the detention block. When he palmed the door control a startled B1 battle droid waiting at a desk outside jerked up in surprise. 

“What the…the clone is escaping!” It reached for something, a gun or an alarm maybe, but Fives didn’t give it enough time to complete the action. He ran forward and clubbed the droid across the head with the staff in a heavy double-handed blow. The droid’s head was dislocated with a shower of sparks. It slumped. 

Fives was panting as he shoved the scrap metal aside to settle at the security desk in front of him. It didn’t contain a map, but there were a few security cameras projecting their feed to the screen. There were lots of hallways. Not too many droids, ultimately. The Techno Union hadn’t been anticipating a prison break. One camera showed a landing deck, with a shuttle being unloaded by a few Skakoan technicians. Fives frowned. That could be their ticket out. 

He didn’t see any sign of Echo. There weren’t even any labs visible on the cameras. Tambor was nowhere to be found either. The full facility wasn’t presented here. Fives cursed. He scooped up the destroyed droid’s E-5 blaster into his free hand and held the electrostaff in his other hand as he started down the hallway again.

* * *

_ Voices. Voices?  _

_ A  _

_ Feeling. _

Echo’s eyes flicked from left to right underneath his eyelids as he remained in a deep, dark limbo, somewhere in between being awake and asleep. He wasn’t conscious enough to understand his surroundings any longer. Instead, he ignored it all the best he could. 

_ Information. Numbers? _

_ So _

_ many…. _

_ 01010011 01100011 01100001 01101110 01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110 00100000 01010011 01100011 01100001 01101110 01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110 _

Echo’s eyes moved on computerized instinct, not his own.

_ Must send the algorithm. Again. Why do they need it so many tim- _ **_E̷͔͉̙̺͛͂̓̌̀͘ͅr̷͍͍̠͔͂̃̆́͝r̷̝̎̅̾ö̷͉̬͉́̄͋r̷͎̲̓_ **

_ Compute. _

_ Obey. _

_ Why d- _ **_E̷͔͉̙̺͛͂̓̌̀͘ͅr̷͍͍̠͔͂̃̆́͝r̷̝̎̅̾ö̷͉̬͉́̄͋r̷͎̲̓_ **

_ Sending algorithm.  _

_ …… …… …… _

Echo’s body twitched and trembled violently as an electrical discharge ran down the wiring connected to him and electrocuted him in a showering thunderstorm of deep sky blue. He screeched and then, with the artificial instinct placed into him, redirected the current. That sent the information up into the system again. 

_ It….It hurts! I ca- _ **_E̷͔͉̙̺͛͂̓̌̀͘ͅr̷͍͍̠͔͂̃̆́͝r̷̝̎̅̾ö̷͉̬͉́̄͋r̷͎̲̓_ **

_ Powering down till next use. _

Whenever Echo was no longer needed anymore, his body was shut down or forced into standby mode, forced to go asleep. During those timeless sections between actually sending information and just sitting around and waiting, sometimes he dreamed; not really a dream, but it was a close thing to it. It was more like floating. He saw things that he knew were real. The outside world. A route? A map? Echo could definitely make out a way to a different room—scratch that—multiple rooms. It was a facility. 

Echo lets his mind wander throughout the place. He searched through different codes and everything. Every room had a name and importance. Echo also discovered a platform outside with….with a shuttle on it. He kept that in mind.

_ But why? Why did I j- _ **_E̷͔͉̙̺͛͂̓̌̀͘ͅr̷͍͍̠͔͂̃̆́͝r̷̝̎̅̾ö̷͉̬͉́̄͋r̷͎̲̓_ **

There was a jolt in his spine. He whimpered softly.  _ Uh oh. I am needed again. _ An electrical current rolled down the tall metal wiring in the center of the stasis chamber. It spread out across the walls; turning the etching in the metal to a bright golden color. The golden color indicated that the electrical current was running hot. It smacked right into him head-on, and Echo’s mind whitened out completely.

_ PAIN. PAIN. No, no, s- _ **_E̷͔͉̙̺͛͂̓̌̀͘ͅr̷͍͍̠͔͂̃̆́͝r̷̝̎̅̾ö̷͉̬͉́̄͋r̷͎̲̓._ **

_ They need more information. On an algorithm. _

Echo’s eyes flicked around behind his eyelids again.

_ Yes sir. _

He released another wave of coding, binary, secrets. Secrets he shouldn’t be giving out. He did though. Something was compromised but he couldn’t for the life of him remember what that secret was. Who told him he couldn’t share it? Why shouldn’t he share it? It didn’t matter though. The coding told him he had to follow directions. And follow, he would. 

Like a mindless droid. 

* * *

Fives ran. 

There were no blaring alarms quite yet. For the moment, his escape was still unnoticed, and he needed to get as far as he could before they found out. He needed to stay calm and find Echo before he could do anything else. 

The Techno Union facility was large. Fives wouldn’t be able to find Echo alone. He needed more information, but all the terminals he was passing were only accessible to droids. 

That wasn’t the end of the world, though. Terminals weren’t the only way to get the information he needed. 

He burst through a door and stumbled into a room that seemed to be a small laboratory. Two battle droids jerked in surprise, but they weren’t fast enough to do anything before he shot them down. On the other end of the room, a Skakoan technician reached frantically for his comlink, but Fives shot it out of his hand. The Skakoan let out a howl of pain, doubling over around the limb. Fives leveled his blaster at the Skakoan’s head. 

“Where are they holding the other clone?” Fives snarled. The Skakoan narrowed its eyes. 

“Why would I tell you?” he challenged. Fives sneered at him. 

“If you want to keep those big brains of yours inside your skull you’ll tell me everything you know.”

“You won’t kill me!”

“Oh yeah? Try me.” Fives wasn’t in the mood to play games. “If you won’t tell me anything, I’ll kill you where you stand and find someone else to tell me what I want to know. From what I’ve seen there are plenty more of you to choose from.”

“You’ll never make it out of this facility, clone. The droids will stop you long before you can reach your friend.”

Fives slammed the butt of his blaster into the sleemo’s head. The Skakoan yelped as he went crashing to the floor. He gaped up at Fives in fear. 

“Tell me,” Fives growled. The Skakoan winced. 

“One floor up, on the West Wing of the facility,” he mumbled. “But you’ll never make it there—”

Fives shot him. 

He knew that it wasn’t… the most  _ compassionate _ move, but he was angry and tired and hurting and the Skakoan was probably one of the ones that had been hurting Echo. Fives didn’t even care anymore. He wasn’t a Jedi, he was a soldier, and he would do whatever it took to survive. 

He left the laboratory and started searching for a way to move up a level. He hadn’t passed by any lifts on his way out of the detainment center, which meant there had to be some sort of way up eventually. He continued down the hallway and nodded in grim triumph when a turbo-lift was present in the center of the next room—accompanied by two super battle droids. 

Fives took them by surprise. The first one went down before it even had time to turn around. The second fired at him. The blaster bolts came way too close for comfort. Fives had to dive aside. He fired as he went. The droid toppled as Fives hit the ground hard. He felt the impact all the way down to his bones and spent a painful second swearing and clenching his teeth. 

His body was still exhausted. Adrenaline could only carry him so far. He dragged himself to his feet and dropped his fist down onto the control panel to move up a level. He hoped that the Skakoan hadn’t been lying to him. 

When the lift came to a stop, he started down the hall but froze when he heard the telltale sound of stomping metal feet. It sounded like there were too many droids to take on alone. It was a patrol of some sort. Fives ducked into the first doorway that opened for him, slipping into the little maintenance room and closing his eyes as the droids marched past. 

They were going to figure out that he’d escaped eventually. He didn’t have that much time. He stepped out into the hall again when the sounds faded, and Fives suddenly realized that despite the instructions, he wasn’t sure which side of the facility was the westside. He didn’t have his helmet to identify the cardinal directions for him. 

Kriffing Skakoan. Fives chose a direction at random and started moving slowly, sticking to the shadows as best as he could. He was getting tired. If he kept trying to fight every single droid he encountered he would be taken down before he could ever manage to find Echo. 

Part of him was afraid of what he was going to find when he did manage to free his brother. Echo hadn’t been doing well. Tambor had been plotting something horrible. Fives was more worried than he was willing to admit to himself, but he knew that Echo was strong. He would be alright. 

He turned a corner and stopped short when the hallway ended up being a dead end. He turned back around and went in the opposite direction, swearing as he went. There wasn’t time for this! 

The droid patrol came back around. Fives crouched low and hid in a doorway as they marched past, trying to make himself as small as he could. Fortunately, they didn’t notice him. When he came out of his hiding spot he broke into a light jog, worry driving him even faster through the facility. 

Finally, he got the sense that he was going in the right direction. He kept moving until he came across a more open space and hesitated for a moment, staring at the large door in front of him. 

Well, that looked intriguing. If it didn’t lead to Echo, it probably led to something just as important. Fives raised his blaster and crept along, keeping the weapon raised and at the ready as the door slid open. There wasn’t anyone inside—just a long row of control panels and some sort of massive pod hanging on the far wall above him. Fives frowned. He had no idea what it was. 

The room was spacious. Glancing around, Fives thought it was safe to assume that this was some sort of massive project that the Techno Union was working on. He bared his teeth and tightened his finger over the trigger, ready to destroy it out of spite, but something stopped him. Perhaps it was safer to find out what it was before blasting everything in sight. 

The control consoles didn’t give him much information. Half of the labels over various controls were written in languages that Fives couldn’t read without his helmet translating the words for him. He brushed his finger over a keypad hesitantly and froze when machinery hummed for a brief moment before the sound faded away. Strange. 

A familiar console called his attention. He stared at the readout for a long moment, watching as a little line jumped up and down in a familiar pattern—the telltale tracking of a heart rate. But Fives wasn’t sure where the heartbeat could be coming from…unless…

Fives turned his gaze up to the pod above him. It was large. Definitely large enough to hold most species of humanoids. Dread settled low in his gut. He clenched his jaw and started to search for some way to get the pod open. 

He didn’t  _ want  _ to assume that Echo would be inside. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw it. The Techno Union could have more than one test subject. But—

The image of the metal implants all over Echo’s body flashed across Fives’ vision. He shuddered as he swept his gaze over various levers and flashing buttons. 

Finally, he found one lever that seemed promising. There was a glyph that he recognized next to it— _ release.  _ Fives braced himself and pulled it. 

A wave of freezing cold air washed over him as the two halves of the pod separated and pulled apart. Fives shivered. He nearly jumped out of his skin as something dropped from the pod, barely visible through the cold mist that escaped from within. It took a moment for his brain to comprehend what he was seeing. 

It was Echo. Pale, with ice glittering over his skin, eyes wide and blank, and it looked too much like he was already  _ dead.  _ For an instant Fives couldn’t move—but—

The heart rate was still leaping up and down. There was no beeping to reassure him, just the light, but it was enough. Echo was alive. 

There were wires and lines all over his body. Fives batted half of them away in his panic, reaching up to pull his brother down. Force. What had Tambor done? He brought Echo down to the floor, staring at the wires connecting him to the machine in horror. He wanted to cut them all away, but what would happen if he did?

“Echo?” he breathed. “Echo, can you hear me?” Echo’s chest heaved. His eyes flickered. 

“F-fives?” he whispered, soft and vulnerable. Fives flinched. 

“Yeah, I’m here,” Fives told him carefully. “Do you know what they’ve done? Can I cut these lines or will it hurt you?”

Echo was shivering violently. He blinked once, twice. 

“I don’t…I don’t know—they put me in there, I didn’t—” He gasped. “They took it.”

Fives bit his lip so hard that he tasted iron.

“Took what?”

“The algorithm,” Echo croaked. Fives hissed out a curse. 

“It’s alright,” he said. “It’s alright, Echo.”

“They—something told me to give it to them and I couldn’t—couldn’t stop it, I don’t know why—”

“It’s fine,” Fives told him. He balled his fists helplessly. “It wasn’t your fault. Stay with me, alright? I’m gonna get you out of here.”

Echo nodded weakly. He went silent as Fives tilted him around, inspecting the wires and brushing his fingers over them tentatively. Echo didn’t react at the mere touch, so Fives grabbed a hold of a wire and gave it a light tug. Echo jerked.

“Sorry,” Fives muttered. Echo shook his head. 

“Just pull them out,” he gasped. Fives hesitated. 

“If it hurts you I don’t want to—”

“Take them  _ out,  _ Fives. I don’t care if it hurts. I don’t care.”

“Okay. Alright. I can take them out, but is it kriffing safe? It’s not gonna electrocute us or something?”

“It shouldn’t. I was only in there for an hour. Whatever they were trying to do…it hasn’t fully taken hold of me yet. But it will!” Echo tensed up suddenly and blinked. “You may want to hurry though. I can feel it already starting to take control,” he warned. Fives took a deep breath. 

“Okay, I’m taking them out. Hold on.”

He grabbed the first cord, one that connected to Echo’s shoulder, and yanked it free. Echo’s entire body spasmed. Fives froze. 

“Echo—”

“It’s fine,” Echo growled through gritted teeth. “Keep going.”

Fives pulled out the cable on his opposite shoulder, guilt coiling through his insides. This time Echo couldn’t stop a weak cry from escaping past his lips. Fives snarled and reached for the last wire, the one attached to the back of Echo’s skull. If he thought about it he would hesitate, and they needed to get the cables out. When he pulled the last one out, Echo’s entire body arched. He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. Fives grabbed him as he fell. Echo was struggling for breath, blinking tears from his eyes.

“Force. I’ve got you,” Fives whispered. Echo coughed. 

“I know,” he mumbled. Fives offered him a shaky grin. 

“It’s time to get out of here.” 

Echo nodded and then flinched when he attempted to move his head. He blinked three times, rapidly, and then he stared at the floor.

“Echo? Are you feeling okay?” Fives hesitated on placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure if it would hurt him, or if Echo was possibly sensitive to the touch. If it hurt him then Fives would greatly regret touching him.

“I-I-I...just…” Echo blinked again. “Just dizzy.” 

Fives nodded in understanding. He knew that removing the wires could have repercussions, this was probably one of them. He slowly placed a hand under Echo’s armpit and froze. 

“You’re burning up, Echo. Are you still feeling sick?” Fives refrained from moving him just yet. He might cause damage or hurt Echo if he tried to pick him up again. 

Echo shivered. “I...I feel c-cold. Do I feel warm?” He gazed up at his brother. 

“Yes. Really warm. Hey, we gotta start figuring out what our next move is because I for one don’t wanna still be in here when those scum come back.” Fives’ eyes swept across the room in front of him until he spotted the medical cot over to the side. “I’ll take you over there and then you can lean on it. Are you able to stand, Echo?” 

Echo trembled. “I think so.” He stared ahead. Fives placed both of his hands under his armpits. He lifted Echo up with a bit of struggle and stood there. 

“Okay, one foot in front of the other,” Fives instructed. Echo silently obeyed. One, two, three. Pain shot up his leg after the third step.

“Gah.” He shook from the effort, biting his bottom lip to keep any other sound of pain from escaping.

“Echo—” 

“I’m f-fine. Come on.” Echo stepped forward again, which forced Fives to continue onward.

The two of them finally reached the medical cot. Echo leaned his elbows against the rough surface and sighed heavily. He was tired, in pain, all of that was like a blazing fire crawling up his spine and shoulders. His head hurt. At least he was leaning against something. But he felt cold and warm at the same time. 

“I’m trying to figure out how we are going to get out of this one. I did see a platform on the security cameras, but how are we going to get there?” Fives whispered. He gave Echo a once-over and then decided that yes, Echo did have a fever right now and he was in pain, but now that Fives was here they might have a chance to get out of there.

“Mm,” Echo hummed. He wasn’t really sure of himself. His mind, body, and memory had been played with and he wasn’t sure how he’d be of much help to Fives in this situation. Echo felt useless.

Fives walked over to the front door and leaned against the wall. He was thinking. 

“I…saw something, but I…” Echo said. He froze, and then he worried at his bottom lip. Echo’s mind was pretty much burnt out. He  _ couldn’t  _ think. The heat was swarming inside of his chest, just sitting there in the center. He leaned heavily against the cot. 

“Echo? What is it?” Fives walked back over to him in worry. 

“I feel hot. That’s all.”

Fives snorted, “Yeah, ‘that’s all.’ Echo, that’s a bad thing. We need to get you hydrated again, you haven’t eaten or had anything to drink in days.”

“Neither have you. Look, we can’t stay here. We are sitting ducks. What, do you think they have hydration packs here? No. We need to move.” Echo looked up at him. His legs were trembling like he wanted to move, but his body was clearly stating: ‘Don’t you kriffing dare’. 

“I’ll carry you, or you can lean on me,” Fives offered.

“ _ We  _ do not know the way out of here,” Echo scoffed lightly,

There was silence.

“Just face it Fives, we aren’t getting out of here.” Echo groaned after he finished that comment with a self-defeatist attitude. He slumped forward. Fives immediately caught him. Echo whimpered slightly and tucked his face into his neck. “S-Sorry,” he apologized.

“No, it’s fine. You are tired. I am tired too. But I’ll find a way out. Just lean against me, we’ll get out of here.”

Fives moved his brother into a better position so then he could have Echo lean against him. Fives placed Echo’s left arm, the flesh one, around his neck; Fives took a hold of that arm with his left hand and made sure it stayed put. Now he was able to use the E-5 blaster without issue since his right hand was free to be used. 

The heat from Echo’s skin radiated vigorously, burning into Fives’ own body like a generator. It worried him that Echo was still burning up. It’d make sense that the Techno Union wouldn’t treat Echo’s illness or his fever. Just gave him prosthetics, stuck all these metal bolts on him, tortured him for hours, stuck him in an icebox, and called it a kriffing day! It angered Fives. Made his blood boil for revenge! They hurt his brother and they weren’t going to get away with it. But his first priority was to make sure he got Echo out of the facility first and foremost. Then he could blow this place sky high if he wanted to.  _ If that’s even possible. Heh. I would totally do it.  _

“F-fives...Fives,” Echo’s weakened voice spilled back into his thoughts.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Fives tilted his head so he could get a good look at his brother.

“D-Don’t-” Echo gulped. His Adam's apple bobbed with it. “Don’t go too fast, please.”

_ Can’t handle the speed. No problem.  _ “It’s okay, I’ll try not to, buddy.” Fives offered a soft, reassuring smile before he slowly guided Echo over to the big double doors. 

Fives tightened his hold on him, making sure he wouldn’t accidentally slip from his grasp. The reason why was because of the one thought that crossed Fives’ mind. Once they went through there, it would be a free-for-all. There were magnaguards and droids all over this part of the facility, which meant stealth was very important. If they screwed up, it was game over. 

They could either get recaptured, probably punished for attempting to escape, and would never find their way outta here again. Also, they’d probably kill Fives because, in all honesty, he wasn’t important. Or two, the di’kut droids would probably shoot to kill, also killing Echo in the process, who was very important. Every outcome of getting caught ended, not good! 

Determination and stealth needed to be Fives’ strength right now. At this very moment, he had to be the unwavering strength for them both. And Fives hadn’t signed up to die today. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alsdfja;dkfj for real though that error message thing that angelwars11 used is the coolest thing ughhhhhh I died when I saw it it's so awesome aaaaa -meridian
> 
> Thank you for reading! We appreciate your support!! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Echo was struggling to keep up, but Fives held him tight and refused to let go. Echo’s limbs—his new limbs, whatever the Techno Union had welded onto him—were strange and clumsy, and they didn’t completely obey him when he tried to move. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, a new compass and anchor chapter! Hope you guys enjoy!

Echo was struggling to keep up, but Fives held him tight and refused to let go. Echo’s limbs—his _new_ limbs, whatever the Techno Union had welded onto him—were strange and clumsy, and they didn’t completely obey him when he tried to move. 

He wasn’t sorry in the slightest to leave the laboratory behind. Fives supported him as they limped out into the hallway again. He wished that there was some way to destroy it, but they didn’t have any explosives, and they didn’t want to tip the Techno Union off to the fact that they’d escaped quite yet. 

“Come on,” Fives muttered encouragingly in his ear. “We’ve got this, Echo. Stay with me, just keep moving.” 

It was easier said than done. Echo’s entire body ached, but he knew that Fives was right. He just had to keep going for as long as his body would allow him to. 

Marching feet sounded ahead of them. Echo inhaled sharply. 

“Droids,” he mumbled. Fives grimaced. 

“I know, I know,” he replied. “Come here.” He pulled Echo close and opened a door at random. It was a small closet of some sort, just big enough for Fives to step inside and tug Echo in behind him. Echo let himself slump against the wall as they waited for the droid patrol to pass. When the sound of clanking metal was no longer audible, Fives opened the door cautiously and stepped back out. 

“We’re clear. You okay?”

“I’m—” Echo decided against saying ‘fine’ because he wasn’t. “Tired,” he settled. It was a chore to stand under his own power after having the support of the wall but he managed, looping his arm over Fives’ shoulder again. He stumbled on the first step they took. Fives grunted in exertion as he hauled Echo up. Both of them ended up swaying unsteadily for a moment until they managed to get it under control. Echo let out a weary laugh. 

“What a pair we make,” he muttered. Fives snorted. 

“Keep moving,” he urged lightly, and Echo obeyed. 

Echo was hopeful, but that didn’t mean he was naive. It was only a matter of time before someone would realize that Echo was gone, no matter how stealthy they were able to be. 

Fives guided him down the hallway to a lift and held Echo steady while he jammed the button to take them down a level. The lift whirred as it descended. 

The droid that was standing at the control panel on the next level stared at them in the processed equivalent of shock when the lift came to a stop. Fives swore and lifted his gun. He had to whirl around because he couldn’t get a quick shot in since Echo was in the way. He wasn’t quite fast enough.

“The clones are escaping!” the droid yelped into a communicator. Fives blasted his head off a moment later, but it was too late. 

“Sorry,” Echo groaned. If he hadn’t been so useless Fives could have taken the droid out faster. Fives shook his head. 

“Not your fault. We don’t have very much time now—”

Alarms began to blare, piercing and incessant. Both of them flinched at the harsh sound. 

“Sithspit.”

“Okay, I’m really kriffing sorry about this,” Fives said. He broke into a run, half-dragging Echo behind him. Echo whimpered. His head spun. He knew that it was necessary, they had to run, but it still hurt. Fives whispered out apologies with every breath. 

Two droids rounded the corner that they were approaching. They raised their guns. 

“Halt!” 

Fives let go of Echo for a moment to blast them, ducking low under a blaster bolt. Echo staggered and was barely able to keep moving. Fives reached out to continue pulling him along. He scooped one of the droid’s E-5s off of the floor as they passed and shoved it into Echo’s hand. Echo curled his fingers along the grip instinctively. 

“I’m not gonna be that much help,” he gasped out.

“I don’t care as long as you at least have some way to defend yourself,” Fives snarled. 

A blaster bolt slammed into the wall next to them. Echo yelped. Fives’ eyes widened. He pushed them into a run again. Echo could hear the hum of machinery behind them. There were lots of clankers in pursuit. Fives whipped them around a corner so that the droids didn’t have a straight shot. He was making it as if to continue running, so Echo pulled away from him a little.

“They’ll shoot us if we keep going,” he gasped. “We’ve gotta find cover.”

“In there!” Fives suggested, pointing towards an open doorway. There was no time to think, no time to discuss further options because the first droids were already coming into sight again. Echo and Fives darted for the door to enter the new room. The door slid shut behind them. Fives smashed his elbow into the door control to destroy it and lock them inside. The droids would have to either slice the door controls on their end or cut through the door to get to them. 

Echo glanced around the room, searching for something useful. It looked like they’d stumbled across some sort of meeting room. There were chairs and a table. A computer terminal sat in the corner, but other than that the room was empty. There weren’t even any windows. 

“Now what?” Fives demanded as he came to the same conclusion. They had bought themselves time, but not much else. 

Before Echo could answer, a voice crackled through a loudspeaker above them.

“Escape is futile, clones,” Tambor said smugly. “Surely you have realized it by now. You will cease all efforts to leave.”

“Kriff off!” Fives shouted at the ceiling, fists balled and bristling in fury. Echo eased away from him to slide down the wall and sit down.

“I don’t think he can hear us, Fives,” he muttered. “There probably aren’t microphones in here.”

“Yeah, well, it makes me feel better,” Fives snarled. He began to pace like a caged animal. 

Echo took a deep breath. 

He was just… tired. Everything hurt. Even thinking hurt. He didn’t have the energy to try and come up with a good escape plan, much less decide how they were going to get out of this room without getting shot by the droids waiting outside. 

“This E-5 has half a clip,” Fives commented urgently. “How’s yours?”

Echo hadn’t even checked. He raised it sluggishly for a moment before letting it drop back to the ground. 

“What’s the point?” he whispered. “We’re cornered. Even if we fight they’ll just stun us eventually and that’ll be the end of it. They’ll kill you. I’ll go back to the lab—”

Fives whirled on him. He knelt at Echo’s side with such impressive speed that Echo was surprised. 

“The kriff are you saying? We’re gonna get out of this!”

“Fives…”

“No, shut up.” Fives didn’t seem upset, he just seemed determined. “I don’t care if they kill me, but if I have to go out defending you, I will.”

Echo closed his eyes. 

Fives would never surrender. It wasn’t in his nature. Echo knew that. 

It was definitely time to take a page out of Fives’ book and fight. Fighting or surrendering would lead to the same consequences, so they might as well fight. 

When he opened his eyes again, Fives was staring at him. His brother grinned. 

“There you are. You okay?”

“Yeah,” Echo said. He raised the E-5 and checked it. “Full clip.”

Relief flashed across Fives’ face. He nodded. 

“We can give ‘em a good fight, then. Do we take the fight to them, or do we wait for them to force their way in?”

As if summoned by his words, an odd tapping sound suddenly came from the door. Something glowing bright red pierced through the blast doors, sending sparks flying. The droids were cutting through. Echo swallowed nervously. 

The odds were very much against them. Echo cast his gaze across the room once more. They could pile up the chairs and the table for cover, perhaps. That would let them live a bit longer…

His gaze fell across the computer terminal. His prosthetic arm itched. Echo froze. 

He hadn’t spent too much time studying his new prosthetics, because he was… still in denial, to be completely honest. Now he held up the arm to stare at the scomp link on the end. Theoretically, it would allow him to plug into any terminal. The thought made him shudder, remembering fear and darkness and _cold, it was too cold, and something was in his head, pulling and taking, and Echo just wanted it to leave him alone but they were connected and he couldn’t get away_ —

Force. He shivered. He didn’t want to, but if he didn’t act, they were going to die—or get captured again. If there was any way to help by plugging himself in…it would be worth it. 

He struggled to his feet. Fives came to his aid. 

“Echo?”

“I’ve got an idea,” Echo said breathlessly. “Get me to that terminal.”

Fives glanced over at the terminal. His expression darkened.

“Echo… you’re not really thinking of—”

“Fives, it’s fine,” Echo said, staggering towards it. Fives hesitated for a moment before grabbing his arm to help him make it across the room. 

“It’s _not_ fine,” Fives said anxiously. He was right, even though Echo wasn’t about to admit that when it was one of their last options. “It could be dangerous—”

Echo braced himself against the terminal and stared at the access port with trepidation. His breathing came faster before he could get it under control. 

He didn’t want to plug himself in. He didn’t know what it would do. Maybe it would just make things worse. He dreaded that awful limbo of asleep-yet-not and the sensation of information getting tugged from his brain, snagging and tearing at his thoughts—

But they needed to survive. Echo took a deep breath. Fives grabbed his shoulder suddenly. 

“Okay, stop. You can’t, Echo. We’ll figure it out, but you don’t have to—”

Echo offered his brother a small smile and plugged himself in. 

Everything went dark. Echo could feel himself still standing and Fives next to him, gasping in alarm, but he couldn’t see any of it. Streams of letters and numbers flashed past his vision that he didn’t recognize, but his brain somehow made sense of it. He had to fight back a surge of panic. 

Determined, he squeezed his eyes shut tighter and struggled to focus. He wasn’t trapped in the cold. The Skakoans weren’t tearing things out of his head. He was in charge of this connection. Echo had control this time. His lips twitched up the smallest fraction at the thought.

He felt Fives put a hand on his shoulder. It was warm. The spot of heat kept Echo anchored to reality. He swallowed and dove into the terminal again. The computer’s firewalls didn’t like Echo’s presence. They blinked to life, throwing up barriers and sounding the alarm. It thought that Echo didn’t belong. 

Except Echo knew this facility inside and out. He knew the programs that were running all throughout it because he’d connected with them before. He did belong, he just had to convince the terminal of that. He sent codes at the firewall gently, attempting to soothe it into compliance. Echo was familiar, Echo had been part of this program before. The firewalls waited for a moment, checking him over to be sure…and then they fell away. 

Echo had access to the system. He let out a pent-up breath. 

“You okay?” Fives said in his ear. “Can you even hear me? You went tense for a minute.”

“Fine,” Echo said—it was disorienting, trying to talk and manage an infinite stream of data at the same time. He barely had the sense to slur out the singular word before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

It seemed like endless information. Echo struggled to stem some of it, to bottleneck the data so that it wasn’t all hitting him at once. It bent slowly to his will. Echo grabbed at security camera footage as it passed through his mind and asked the system for more. Static images flashed through his mind. He could see the shuttle outside on the landing deck in the dark of night, he could see himself and Fives huddled over the terminal in the meeting room, he could see their empty cell, and he could see twenty droids waiting outside the room they were in, slowly cutting their way through the door. 

That wouldn’t do at all. 

_Facility defenses?_ Echo thought. The terminal immediately replied with an affirmative and began sending him suggestions. Anti-aircraft turrets, ray shields, outer electric panels, distress signal, hallway turrets—

There. 

Echo grabbed at the latter suggestion and clung to the code as he dismissed the rest of the ideas. He activated the hallway turrets. They came to life with a soft buzz, but they didn’t fire. Echo frowned. 

The turrets still saw the droids as allies. It wasn’t the easiest of fixes. The facility’s programming resisted when Echo tried to tell it that the battle droids were now enemies. _Stubborn coding. You listen to me now._ Echo waved away the protest and sent it a firm command. _Fire._

The system couldn’t argue with that. 

“What’s going on?” Fives yelped as blaster fire erupted on the other side of the door. He couldn’t see what was happening, but Echo could. Echo felt giddy. The turrets were tearing the droids to bits. The droids were confused and couldn’t react fast enough to defend themselves. 

Echo tagged himself and Fives as allies in the program. It didn’t fight him this time, just accepted the new revisions. Echo pulled out a map of the facility too before backing out and disconnecting himself. Everything went dark and silent for a moment. Echo sucked in a sharp raspy breath, like a gulping fish out of water, and then he nearly started hyperventilating until his vision slowly began to return. His head _throbbed_ with pain. He listed to the side and Fives grabbed him. 

“Echo? What did you do?”

Echo grinned, blinking against the bright lights of the room. He felt a bit loopy. 

“I turned the facility against the droids,” he said triumphantly. “The hallway turrets are taking care of them for us.”

Fives gasped and let out a laugh of relief. 

“You’re a _genius,_ Echo. Holy kriff. I can’t believe it.”

“You’d better believe it,” Echo muttered wearily. “I also got my hands on a map. That shuttle’s still on the landing pad…and I know exactly how to get there.” 

Escape was actually _possible._ Echo could hardly believe it. 

“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Fives asked him, raising his E-5 with a smirk. “Let’s get moving.”

Echo smirked and held his E-5 tightly in one hand. Fives helped him lean on him for support and then they walked over to the double doors. Red lines were seared into the metal, left there by the weapons the droids had been using to get the door open. 

Fives started to mess with the wiring on the door’s lock panel. “Alright, I will have to hotwire the door so then we can get out of here since we closed ourselves in here.” 

“Okay.” Echo leaned against the wall with effort. He watched as Fives’ surprisingly nimble fingers tampered with the sensitive wires. One wrong move could result in electrocution; with that thought in mind, Echo whispered, “Please don’t electrocute yourself.”

Fives glanced over at him. He smirked.

“Shush. I’ve got this.” 

Echo rolled his eyes playfully before closing them again. He was trying to get used to the feeling of observing the...frozen picture? The memory? On the map. According to the map, they had a lot of hallways, twists, and turns, and cross-sections to pass before they even reached the other end of the facility where they needed to go. 

“Ah-ha!” Fives yelled suddenly. Echo jolted. “Oops, sorry. Did I startle you?” Fives grinned. He tore his attention off his brother and focused back on the paneling again. 

“Dude,” Echo deadpanned. 

“Sorry, sorry. I think I got it...NOW.” 

The wires sparked as the door yanked itself open. Metal groaned in protest as it dragged against the flooring. The forced friction caused a screeching sound, which made Echo lean away. 

“It’s okay. I’mma check the hall, hold on.” 

Fives peeked his head around the doorframe, then he stepped forward, E-5 gripped tightly in his hands. He spun around and checked his surroundings. Damaged droids laid at his feet. His adrenaline was flourishing. All five of his senses felt heightened since the lights barely illuminated the hall. Hot white sparks flew in all directions, popping loudly, making Fives avoid them. The turrets were left poking out of the walls on all sides. He sniffed at the faint smell of metal and the electrical odors that generally stemmed from excessive heat. 

This faint buzzing sound came from the distant electronics. More sparks popped suddenly, raining down on Fives and the damaged droids. His fingers tightened around the grip of his gun, solid against his calloused fingers which had held various models of guns over the years. 

And lastly, Fives could almost taste the bitter smoke rising from what was left of the massacre before him. With a final look over, back prickling with nerves and tension, Fives deemed it safe to come out and keep moving. 

“Heh. We are clear,” Fives announced to Echo, who attempted to walk out of the room on his own but ended up stumbling out instead. “Ack! Okay, stop stop.” Fives waved his hands out in front of his chest. “I’ll help.” 

Echo flinched away. “I—”

“No, you do not. Put your arm around my neck, ah ah, don’t argue with me. Come on.” Echo glared at him and then sighed. Fives took Echo’s raised arm and gently placed it around his neck. Their heads jerked to look up when the sound of plasma bolts echoed north of their position. It was glorious. Music to their ears.

"Alright, which way?" Fives asked, making sure he remained vigilant the entire time. 

Echo closed his eyes and mumbled something to himself. Then he opened them again, looked to their left, and gestured with a dip of his head. 

"That way. And then take another left." 

Fives nodded. 

"Got it."

The two of them quickly made their way down the hall. They passed by damaged circuits and droids left in heaps across the metal floor. Fives and Echo reached the end of the hall and instantly heard the sound of turrets blasting away. 

Fives turned the left bend and continued forward. 

Echo closed his eyes and hummed quietly. 

"We'll turn on the left again," he guided Fives. 

"Alright!"

Echo hefted his gun up and regained his tight grip on it. Once they turned the left corner they skidded to a stop as droid after droid after droid turned their attention onto the two troopers. Metal whirring.

"Kriff," Fives gritted his teeth. His finger tightened on the trigger and he lit up the first wave of droids. There were about fourteen of them. Echo also did his share with raining down upon the clankers. 

It was a miracle they did not get shot right then and there, but Fives was doing pretty good keeping the droids at bay with his E-5. 

Echo noticed the panels in the walls were starting to shift around. The muzzles of the silver turrets slowly peeked out. _Say hello to my little friend._ Echo smirked and stepped back a bit. Fives followed his lead; knowing exactly what was going to happen but they had to get out of the line of fire. 

The squared panels in the walls flipped over to reveal the hidden turrets. They instantly fired on the droids and, as programmed, managed to miss Echo and Fives. 

Fives gaped at the destruction. 

"Nice! Let's keep going!" he yelled. Echo held on tight and Fives started to move again. 

Echo wasn’t fully connected to the system at the moment because he wasn’t directly plugged in, but there was one thing that Echo noticed. Every time he closed his eyes he could imagine the map he 'downloaded' into his mind. He used that frozen image to reorient himself. So he closed his eyes once again and took note that they needed to take a– 

_Turn._ "Turn this way. " Echo pointed to their right. Fives obeyed him. 

Sweat rolled down Echo's forehead and neck. He panted to circulate oxygen through his body so then he could keep up with Fives; he even stumbled a few times as they darted down each hall. 

More droids. More turrets. 

_Left_ . _Don't stop._ Echo thought in his mind. The map was pretty straight forward and nothing was confusing anymore. Echo could make out the different paths and routes, where each one went, and he could also see the dead ends.

"Take this next left. Don't stop," Echo directed Fives. Their feet pounded in unison against the metal flooring. The screeching sound of clankers getting mutilated could be heard behind them. The turrets were definitely doing their job. 

Echo's heart was pounding in his chest. It could be heard in his ears. Droplets of sweat perspired on his pale skin. It didn't affect his grip on the E-5, but it was quite annoying. His legs ached terribly. His arms hurt as well, and his head swam with so many internal thoughts as more directions sprang forth. 

_Almost there. Another left,_ he thought with relief edging his mind. It was a contagious feeling. Echo was…hopeful that they would make it. But hope could get them killed all the same.

"When we get to the other end of the hall, we'll go strai–GAH!" Echo shouted in surprise. A shot nearly missed the side of his head. Too close for comfort. But that wasn't the reason why he had yelled. He was struck by a bad feeling. It wasn’t the system, that was impossible, it couldn’t talk to him if he wasn’t plugged in. So why did he feel this cold, sinking sensation in his gut? 

Fives shifted his weight so he wouldn't drop Echo. 

"Are you okay?" he asked as he struggled to keep them moving. 

Echo shook his head and stared down the hall. This loud sound emanated from down the hall and shots could be heard reverberating off the walls.

"Fives stop!!" he screeched. His brother skirted to a stop in the middle of yet another cross-section. Four various hallways met their gaze. Each turn could lead them to their untimely deaths and others could lead to the true exit. 

Fives noticed the hall that was blazing at the other end. The turrets were doing too good of a job it seemed. "Haar'chak! Which way?" Fives' frantic tone filtered in through the static in Echo’s ears.

"Shush. Hold on." Echo closed his eyes and imagined the map. 

There were four different turns they could take. The one on the right was a dead end. The one straight ahead was up in flames. The one behind was obviously the way they had just come from and they couldn't go back on themselves. The only way out that looked good was the left. _We_ _gotta take the left! It's our only way out of here,_ Echo thought.

"We need to take the left. It'll take us around that mess and should lead us to the hall that connects to the doors, which lead out to the landing pad. It's a straight shot from there," Echo explained. His eyes opened and he looked down the indicated hall.

"Okay." Fives' steps faltered. "Okay okay. Ready to move?" 

Echo nods. "Yeah, let's go! Hopefully this detour won't lead us into another barrage.” He smiled and started to move his legs along with Fives' to help aid him a bit with their weight. 

Echo and Fives were both panting by the time they reached the end of the hall and it had one turn only. Down. "Well would you look at that." Fives' lip quirked up in amusement. "Only one way. Come on." Echo shrugged and they kept moving without stopping. 

They were lucky there weren't any clankers waiting down there for him. About halfway down the hall, though, a dizzy spell washed over Echo. His head was flooded by black spots and his peripheral jerked and twisted nauseatingly. _Holy kriff._ He grabbed onto Fives and tripped. Fives yelped and held on tightly as Echo squeezed his eyes shut and cried out in pain. 

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Fives asked in alarm, looking him up and down to check for an injury. Then Fives looked him in the eyes. "Echo?” He tried to get his attention. “Kriff. Come on, talk to me."

Echo panted, trying to steady himself. Fives brought him over to the nearest wall and leaned him against it. 

"S-Sorry. Got dizzy. 'M fine," Echo mumbled, opening his eyes a bit. Fives pressed a hand on his forehead and then turned his head to look down the hall. 

"It's okay. Was I moving too fast?" Fives asked. 

"N-No. Just overexerted myself. Got dizzy for a minute. But w-w-we…we gotta keep moving. We can't stop again or we'll get caught for sure." Echo gazed up at him. 

Fives nodded. "I know. Here, put your arm around me." Echo wrapped his left arm around the back of Fives' neck. "Alright, hang on. " 

They finally reached the end of the hall. Echo closed his eyes and then gasped. "It's right there! Just a bit further." A smile stretched from ear to ear in excitement. He's ready to get out of here. 

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Fives grinned. He tightened his hold on his bicep and they bounded down the hall. _So close. So close to escape._ They could almost taste it! One last turn and there it was. 

The double doors that led to the landing platform, and outside of that was the shuttle they needed to take to aid in their glorious escape. 

The doors slid open. For the first time in days Echo could see real sunlight. For a moment it blinded him. He clung to Fives’ shoulder to steady himself and squinted against the light. When his eyes adjusted, he could see the shuttle waiting for them. 

Then he dropped his gaze, and saw the platoon of droids clustered next to their ride, with Watt Tambor himself in front. Echo and Fives froze. 

“Oh kriff.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! Heh heh, we are happy to see that you’ve reached the end of this chapter. Are you on the edge of your seat yet? Bet you are. What's going to happen to Echo and Fives...?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It is futile, clones,” Tambor said. He sounded far too smug for his own good. “I’ve entertained your little game for long enough, but you’ll be returning to your cell now.”
> 
> Echo tightened his grip on his stolen E-5 and weighed their options. They couldn’t go back. The droids were blocking the way to the shuttle, but they were so close. They couldn’t give up now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the last time, we're back with another chapter!

“Back up!” Fives barked, half-frantic.

Echo moved with him, trying to step back inside the facility to get to cover. The doors slid shut and locked before they could get inside. 

“It is futile, clones,” Tambor said. He sounded far too smug for his own good. “I’ve entertained your little game for long enough, but you’ll be returning to your cell now.”

Echo tightened his grip on his stolen E-5 and weighed their options. They couldn’t go back. The droids were blocking the way to the shuttle, but they were  _ so close.  _ They couldn’t give up now. 

“Stall!” he hissed out of the corner of his mouth. 

Fives glanced at him in acknowledgment and raised his voice. “I don’t think so, Skakoan scum! We’re leaving, and you’re going to let us go!”

“I think not,” Tambor countered with a lazy wave of his hand. “You have nothing to bargain with, fool. Lay down your weapons and submit.”

Echo searched frantically for a solution. The unloaded crates near the edge of the landing platform could definitely be used as cover. They’d have to move fast to get there, though. 

Fives pointed his E-5 at Tambor, lips curling into a snarl. “Here’s for bargaining,” he growled. “Let us go, and maybe I won’t shoot you where you stand.” The droids jerked their guns more towards Fives. 

Tambor laughed. “My droids would kill you just as quickly as you pulled the trigger. Enough of this. Guards—”

Echo felt a thrill of fear run down his spine. He pushed himself in front of Fives and glowered at the Skakoan. He knew he’d made the right decision when Tambor hesitated. 

“Not willing to risk your own hardware, Tambor?” Echo hissed. “How much money did you put into me, exactly? I’d guess it’s a lot. We wouldn’t want that to go to waste, would we?”

He started to move to the side as he spoke. Fives stayed right behind him. They were slowly, carefully making their way towards the crates. If they could make it there before Tambor decided to fire, they would have a chance.

Tambor’s eyes narrowed. “Fortunately, the Techno Union has only invested money in one of you. I couldn’t care less if the other clone dies.” Tambor stepped back. The droids shifted to protect him until the Skakoan was sheltered behind lines of battle droids. “Guards! Stun the asset. Get rid of the other one.”

There was no hesitation this time. A hail fire of stun bolts and blaster fire rippled towards them. Echo gasped. Fives grabbed him and dove for cover as bullets struck all around them. They managed to get behind the crates. Blaster bolts tore into the front of the crate that they were crouched behind, sending sharp splinters in all directions. 

“Well, I think Rex and General Skywalker would have approved of the chaos!” Fives said as he fired around the side of the crate. Several droids were destroyed, but it barely made a dent in the enemy’s defenses. 

Echo didn’t know whether to laugh or roll his eyes. “Rex and the General would actually be  _ escaping  _ right now instead of hiding behind a crate!” he said. He tried to poke his head up to shoot but he had to duck back down when a stun bolt nearly hit him in the face. 

They weren’t going to get anywhere at this rate. They’d get shot before they even made it halfway to the shuttle. There had to be another option…

Echo leaned in against the crate, gritting his teeth. The crate. Echo had no idea what they’d been delivering, but perhaps whatever was inside could be useful to them, if only just to throw as a distraction. The crate was already on its side. Echo had to set his E-5 down for a brief moment so he could pop the top off and rummage through the contents with his remaining hand. 

The coils of cable at the bottom of the durasteel box formed a perfect shelter around a strand of packaged thermal detonators. Echo blinked. 

Well now, that could definitely be useful. 

He stripped one out of the packaging and held it awkwardly in his left hand. He was weak, but not so weak that he couldn’t throw. 

“Fives!” he shouted. Fives paused and glanced down at him. He gasped when Echo held up the thermal detonator, eyes going wide. Echo saw determination and understanding flash across his face a moment later.

There was no need to plan out loud. This was familiar and easy, something they’d practiced dozens of times during ARC training and utilized just as often in the field. Fives stepped out of cover for an instant, firing rapidly to give Echo cover. Echo stepped out behind him and threw the grenade into the droid ranks before the droids could fully target Fives. They whirled back behind cover at the same time. It was instinct, muscle memory, and absolute trust that the other would do his part. 

“That’s it!” Fives shouted. “Again!”

Echo obliged him. They darted out from the other side this time and pulled off the same quick move. The explosion shook the landing pad. Echo stumbled, struggling to keep his balance as he armed himself with a third detonator. 

The explosives were keeping the droids at bay for now, but it wouldn’t stop them for long. The droids were going to learn their attack pattern quickly and then Echo and Fives would have to search for a new way to fight back. 

Echo tried to vary their attacks. He rolled a few detonators across the ground and even threw some up and over their cover while Fives blasted away, causing as much chaos as possible. But even then, they were just two men against an entire platoon of droids. The droids were slowly coming closer. They marched steadily ahead without faltering. 

“This isn't working!” Echo said frantically. 

Fives ducked his head down and gritted his teeth, nodding in agreement. “We can’t take them all. We’ve got to move!”

Echo’s adrenaline surged. They were  _ so close.  _ They needed to get to the shuttle. Then they could finally rest. 

He forced himself to his feet and moved along with Fives, darting across the small stretch of open space to get to the next crate, which was a few feet closer to the shuttle. Echo threw another detonator and he and Fives used the chaos from the explosion to move ahead again, pressing their way closer and closer to escape. Echo could feel the adrenaline and hope thrumming through his veins, driving him onward. 

They could rest once they were free. The pain didn’t matter, not yet. 

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a group of droids coming around the side of the platform, attempting to flank them. They had a clear shot on Fives, and they took it. 

There wasn’t time to think. There was barely any time to move, but Echo did his best. He jerked himself towards his brother and pulled Fives away with every ounce of his remaining strength.

The blaster bolt intended for Fives slammed into his side. Echo was flung back from the impact. For a moment, he didn’t feel any pain. 

And then it hit him like an avalanche. His vision whited out. Echo sucked in air and curled in on himself, but that just made the fiery agony in his side flare until he couldn’t grit back a strangled cry of pain. 

He’d been shot before, of course, but it was completely different without plastoid armor to dissipate the worst of the blast. 

“You _imbeciles!_ Useless droids! I ordered you that the asset was not to be damaged! Cease fire, _cease fire!”_ Tambor shrieked, furious. Echo gasped for air. The blaster bolts streaking overhead began to peter out. 

Echo heard Fives swear, fast and quiet. Fives grabbed him. The jostling made waves of pain roil through Echo’s body. 

“Kriff, kriff, Echo I’m so sorry. I’m sorry but this is our last chance and we’ve got to—”

“Run,” Echo told him through gritted teeth. 

Fives didn’t need to be told twice. 

He scooped Echo up into his arms and abandoned their cover in a final attempt to reach the shuttle, sprinting at top speed. The droids were hesitating due to Tambor’s orders and didn’t immediately blast them. 

“Sir, the clones are—” one of them began to say, and Tambor audibly choked.

“Blast them!” he warbled, and the droids raised their guns. 

Fives was twenty feet from the shuttle. Then fifteen. Then ten. 

The droids opened fire. Echo was too busy keeping himself from thrashing in Fives’ arms to really pay attention. Fives hunched over, clutching Echo to his chest and launching himself into a zig-zag pattern to throw the droids off. For a moment, it succeeded. 

They were at the bottom of the shuttle’s boarding ramp when Fives let out a cry and stumbled, nearly dropping Echo. Echo clamped his jaw shut as the jerk pulled mercilessly on his injury. An aborted howl escaped from his lips. Fives let out a shout—a wordless cry of pure adrenaline, grit, and determination—and threw himself up the ramp into the shuttle. Both of them crumpled to the floor. 

The droids were still coming. Echo opened his eyes and tried to haul himself to his feet, but he couldn’t manage it. His entire body was trembling. The prosthetic limbs didn’t obey him and his injury sent licks of firey pain through his body. 

Fives staggered to his feet. Echo knew that he was injured, but Fives’ eyes were blazing. He stumbled for the pilot seat with single-minded tenacity. 

The shuttle vibrated with explosions. It threw Echo back down to the floor. He let himself go limp. He’d done everything he could. His body and mind were done. They couldn’t handle it anymore. He wanted to help Fives, but he also wanted to close his eyes and sleep for an eon.

“Destroy that shuttle! If the Techno Union can’t have the asset, I’d rather it be destroyed!” Tambor screeched from outside. The shuttle vibrated again. The entrance slid shut. Fives had gotten to the controls. 

Echo heard the ship’s turrets come to life at the same time as the engine started to whirr in preparation to lift off. The droids were trying to fight back, but Echo heard Fives shout in triumph from somewhere deeper into the ship, and suddenly they were airborne. 

Echo could hardly believe it. 

His vision flickered, but he refused to let himself fall unconscious yet. Once again he made a token effort to get to his feet, but he could barely sit up much less walk. He felt the odd vibration of the ship as they entered the atmosphere and relief so heady that he nearly sobbed fell over him. 

They had escaped the facility. 

It didn’t mean they were home-free, not yet. The Techno Union could send fighters after them. Echo took a deep breath…and then let it out, because somehow, the ship heaved in the tell-tale pull of hyperspace. 

Echo lost a bit of time after that. When he became aware again, he saw Fives kneeling over him. “Echo? How are you doing?”

Echo was too delirious to attempt to lie. “Wanna sleep,” he muttered. 

Fives sighed. He offered Echo the tiniest of grins. “Sleep, then. I’ll get some bacta on your wound and keep watch. We’re alright for now.”

Echo believed him. He finally let himself slip into darkness, content with the fact that his brother would be watching over him as always.

* * *

“Echo?”

Echo blinked his eyes open sluggishly, squinting against the bright light in his eyes. It took him a moment, but he finally registered Fives looking down at him, face scrunched up in a mixture of pain and concern.

“I’m sorry to wake you up,” Fives muttered weakly. Echo narrowed his eyes as he strained to get up. He knew immediately something was wrong when Fives reached out to help him and then suddenly flinched back.

“Whoa, Fives? Are you okay?” he asked. A dull ache spread through his side. He glanced down and blinked as he saw the bacta stuck to his wound.

“I’m alright,” Fives said through gritted teeth, which meant that he was  _ not  _ actually alright. Echo shot him a skeptical look. 

Fives winced. “I just...need your help,” he admitted quietly. “I can’t do this myself. I can’t reach.”

“Can’t reach what?” Echo questioned blankly. In answer, Fives heaved a sigh and twisted around slowly to reveal a horrific blaster wound near the small of his back. The blaster bolt had melted Fives’ blacks against his skin. 

Echo let out a curse. “Why didn’t you kriffing wake me up sooner?” he hissed, struggling to get to his feet. Thankfully his cybernetics cooperated, and he was able to reach for Fives with his good arm, running a careful hand across Fives’ shoulders and wincing in sympathy when Fives hissed. 

“Someone had to make sure Tambor didn’t follow us,” Fives said quietly. 

Echo huffed. “Where’s the bacta?” Wordlessly Fives pointed across the room. Echo left him for a moment to stumble towards it. He retrieved the bactapatch that he found there and then returned to Fives’ side. He studied the awful wound and swallowed. “I’ve gotta peel your blacks off. “

Fives grunted in affirmation. His shoulders rippled as he tensed up. Echo had to fight to get a good grip on the shirt, and even once he did, it was even harder to get enough leverage to free Fives from the scorched material. Fives let out a strangled sound of protest when Echo finally got the job done. 

“Alright?” Echo muttered. 

Fives exhaled harshly. “I’ve had worse,” he answered. Echo managed a tired grin as he carefully positioned the bactapatch over the worst of Fives’ wound. It wouldn’t heal it completely, but it would protect it from infection. 

Fives relaxed as the cool bacta soothed the irritation away.“Thanks,” he breathed out. 

Echo sucked in a slow breath. 

It hit him all at once, as soon as Fives’ pain was eased. They were out. They had escaped. They were going home. 

Echo swayed a little on his feet. Fives realized that he was unsteady and turned around as quickly as his wound would allow to wrap a supporting arm around Echo’s shoulders.

“That’ll teach Tambor not to mess with the vode,” Fives said derisively. Echo let out a thin laugh. He couldn’t muster up enough energy to respond and leaned against Fives’ shoulder instead. Relief flooded over him like a wave. 

“The good thing,” Fives announced carefully, taking care not to jostle Echo as he spoke, “is that while you were sleeping I figured out how to work the emergency beacon on this ship. It was tuned to Separatist frequencies, but it wasn’t too hard to switch over to the Republic channels. We’re broadcasting a signal right now. With any luck, someone will either find us or send us coordinates so that we can get back to friendly territory as soon as possible.”

Echo tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling, nervous anticipation colliding sharply with his fierce desire to make it home. He glanced down at his cybernetic limbs and bit his lip. Things would never be the same. The Citadel had taken too much from him, and Tambor had chipped away at what little of Echo’s body remained. He wondered if the Republic would find any use for him, or if he’d be sent back to Kamino. 

As if sensing his thoughts, Fives suddenly held him tighter. “We’re gonna be fine, Echo. General Skywalker and Rex aren’t going to let anything happen to you. And if the Republic tries anything, I’ll make them regret it.”

Echo smirked. “Small comforts,” he rasped. “I’d honestly love to see what would happen if you set the Senate building on fire.”

“Let’s hope that you don’t have to find out,” Fives said with a snort. “Besides, General Skywalker has a cybernetic arm. He tinkers with it all the time. I can’t imagine he’d let you be decommissioned for something that he could easily fix himself.” 

Echo nodded in agreement. He couldn’t shake the nerves, but with Fives at his side, he knew that things would turn out alright. He pulled away from his brother and gave Fives a gentle nudge. “How long has it been since you’ve slept?”

Fives winced sheepishly. “I don’t...I don’t actually know.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” Echo shoved him a little harder. “Go lay down and get some sleep. We’re safe for now, I can watch our distress beacon in case anything happens.”

Fives hesitated. Echo shot him a glare, trying to imitate the look Kix often adapted when he was cajoling stubborn brothers into the medbay. 

“Echo…”

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Echo said. “I’ll call you if I need anything. Go rest so that your back can start to heal.” He turned on his heel and started a slow path towards the cockpit. He had barely set himself down in the pilot’s chair when the door opened behind him. 

Echo frowned. “Fives, I thought I told you to—oof!” With only one hand, Echo’s reflexes weren’t fast enough to catch the thin blanket that collided with his head. 

Fives snorted in amusement as he sat down in the co-pilot’s chair. He draped a second blanket across his lap. “Yeah, I’ll sleep. Here, though, not in the other room.”

Echo raised an eyebrow. “That can’t possibly be comfortable to sleep in that chair, Fives. You might hurt your back even worse—”

“It’s—” Fives paused for a moment like the words were stuck in his throat. Their gazes met. “I don’t care. I just don’t want to—every time they took you away I was alone.”

Echo felt a surge of empathy. He closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m right here, Fives,” he said. “All one-fourth of me.” He wriggled his singular arm pointedly. 

Fives’ lips quirked upwards. “Wake me up if anything interesting happens,” he said, then he twisted to try and get into a semi-comfortable position without jarring his back injury. He managed to settle a moment later. Echo watched patiently as his breathing evened out. Fives drifted to sleep. Echo sighed and looked back at the stars around them through the viewport. Now he just had to wait. 

* * *

Fives opened his eyes again, but he wasn’t in the shuttle anymore. A chill, solid, flat surface met his fingers. Everything was spinning. But why? He also took notice that he was staring directly at the floor. A floor that twisted and churned with his stomach. Fives slammed his eyes shut against the sinking, nauseous feeling and breathed in and out. 

_ What is this? What’s happening? _ Fives slowly opened his eyes again once the rocking sensation drifted away, leaving behind stillness to the aura around him. He looked up and gasped when his eyes saw only electric violet; a color he was too familiar with. A color that had struck—or rather shocked fear into his heart and mind, all the way to the soles of his feet. Fives shook his head. A dangerous, threatening storm that made the air pop and crackle surrounded Echo on the other side of a circular room. Tambor stood in front of Fives and between him and Echo, while the magnaguards enclosed them in a semi-circle.

Fives had just enough time to register what exactly he was looking at before the pain laced through his muscles, rippling like a tsunami. He groaned and doubled over. Echo sobbed.

_ We never left. _

More pain scorched down his back. 

_ We never escaped.  _

Tambor turned to face Fives. “You thought you would succeed in escaping me, yet here you are clone. In spite of this, my asset was damaged. This is undoubtedly an issue in and of itself. Because of this, you clones are no longer my concern.” Tambor leaned forward. His tone was cocky and rumbled with a low buzz. “You will be disposed of immediately.” 

The clankers jerked into position. Six faced Echo and the other six faced Fives. 

“No. You can’t!” Fives frantically stepped forward, he was quickly pushed back against the beige wall behind him.

_ Why aren’t we on the shuttle? Why haven’t we escaped? I don’t understand.  _

“It's useless to beg and plead for your pitiful life, clone. You are wasting your breath.” Tambor turns his back to him.

Fives chokes on an inhale.

_ Was our escape a dream? _

Horror flashed in his eyes when the magnaguards around Echo shook either electro staffs down towards the floor in a rhythmic pattern. The purple electric currents sparked to life, originating from the transparent ends that received the transmitted electricity that ran through the staff until it met the two golden spikes inside of the bulb; creating powerful enough energy to kill an organic specimen. 

_ These models....they are different from the first kind they shocked us with.  _

The droid closed in on Fives’ heaving figure. He twisted his head as far as it could go and yelled again. “Please stop!”

_ I never thought I would have to beg before now. This isn’t right! I can’t—I don’t….WHY?! _

The first staff came in contact with his right arm. Fives jerked. Echo screamed for them to stop hurting him and Fives gasped. 

_ This is worse. Way worse. _

The clankers backed away and then Echo was shocked. And they didn’t stop. His body seized up and crumpled to the floor with each current that rode him like a driver on a speeder. Echo grunted and scrunched his face up.

“Echo!! Echo! Kriff, ‘karkin stop! Please, you’ll kill him,” Fives begged. His pleadings fell on deaf ears. 

Echo screamed in agony because the droids did not retract their staffs just yet. Fives cried. 

“No. No! Echo!” 

Fives didn’t even realize that the droids around him weren’t holding him down anymore; something invisible was doing it. His ankles and wrists wouldn’t move with him like chains were keeping him subdued. 

The droid stopped. Echo heaved and sputtered. 

_ He’s dying.  _

“F-Fi-Five-” Echo reached out for him. Staffs from up above harassed him once more. Echo twitched and gasped sharply before his eyes rolled up into his head. Fives screamed in despair when Echo seized again, violently,  _ dying. Dying. He’s dying. We never escaped. He’s hurting. _

_ Stop _

__

_ Stop _

_ STOP! _

“Fives?! Fives!” A voice pulled him back from the depths of suffocating terror. Fives shot up into a sitting position and screamed so loud that Echo jerked back. Fives’ breaths sat like rocks in his lungs. Fives clawed at the arms of the seats before he stopped. The sight of Echo returned in his peripheral. 

Fives trembled violently as if he was getting electrocuted all over again. He clutched his chest and panted. Fives’ intake of air was fast and shaky. Echo hesitantly placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, a grip that was stabilizing and real, and anchored Fives’ mind back down to the physical world. 

“Hey, it’s okay.”

Fives shook his head and glanced down to Echo’s fleshy hand. He bit his lower lip, then he reached for his hand and squeezed hard. His golden eyes drifted up to Echo’s gaze and he held it steady. Fives’ pupils dilated when he stared at Echo long enough, his eyes becoming misty.

“E-Echo,” Fives choked. Tears pricked his eyes, burning like acid before they spilled down his face. “Vod…” His voice cracked as he leaned forward and shook his head.

Echo’s eyes softened. Echo shifted till he knelt down in front of Fives, legs creaking as he did. He reached out and pulled Fives’ head against his chest. 

Fives continued to cry softly.

“Udesii, vod. It was just a nightmare,” Echo reassured him.

Fives stuttered, ”But i-it felt so kr-kriffing real. They...t-they, _ force _ , Echo they _ killed  _ you. We never escaped. Tambor took us back and they...it was painful.” Fives turned his head and gritted his teeth. Echo nodded in understanding.

“But I’m here. I am here, and your head is against my chest. Can’t you feel it? My heart,” Echo whispered.

Fives did hear it.

Echo’s heart was strong. Perfect. It pounded loudly in his chest in reassurance. Echo was alive. 

“I’m sorry…” Fives sighed. 

“What for? You didn’t do anything wrong, as far as I can tell,” Echo chuckled wetly.

“I probably startled you, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to scare you if I did.”

Echo pulled away and gazed into Fives’ eyes.

“You did. But that’s alright. I’m just glad that it was just a nightmare, nothing more. We escaped. We’re on a shuttle, homebound. Tambor will never hurt us ever again. I won’t let it happen, as long as I live.”

Fives smiled. “Okay. I believe you.” Fives leaned his head forward and their foreheads connected with a dull tap. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Fives.”

A tender moment shared between brothers was nice, comforting, but it was also short-lived;  broken  by the soft crackling sound of signal being received. 

_ A transmission!? _

Echo’s lips pulled up into a gleeful smile, his filled with hope.

“Sounds like we’ve got something.” Echo stood up with a breathy groan. His left hand rested against the cold metal of the computer system and pressed the red glowing button. 

“Distress signal 81765, we have received your message. What is your state of distress?” A clone’s voice rumbled through clearly.

Echo let out a breathless laugh. It was a Republic cruiser. “This is ARC-1409, Echo, and I am with ARC-5555, Fives. We were captured by Watt Tambor and the Techno Union after the mission in the Citadel and were taken to Skako Minor located in the Core World regions. 55 and I are injured, not gravely, blaster wounds. We need immediate medical care and transport back to the 501st.”

Fives stood on shaky legs and appeared on Echo’s right side. He pressed a comforting hand against his shoulder.

“What are your designation numbers again?” The clone responder asked.

“ARC-1409 and ARC-5555,” Echo responded.

There was a moment of silence. 

Echo dreaded that they lost the signal.  _ Maybe they’re in hyperspace and went right over us. _

“General Skywalker has given the okay to locate your signal and exact location. We’ll have transport shuttles attach a cable to your ship so they can bring you to one of our hangar bays. Sit tight and keep the channel open to only our channel,” the clone explained diligently.

“Okay, we will. Thank you vod.” Echo smiled to himself and leaned heavily against Fives’ shoulder. “It’s almost over. Force, we’re almost home.” He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Fives’ again.

Fives smiled and Echo breathed in and out. Fives wrapped an arm around him.

“I’m tired Fives,” Echo mumbled. 

“Don’t worry.” Fives tightened his hold. “I’ve got you vod’ika. Just lean against me.” He maneuvered his brother till he was leaning against him, in such a way so then they wouldn’t fall over. 

They stared at the vast expanse of dead space. Silent, lifeless, and dark. They waited and waited for  _ The Resolute  _ to appear.

A few moments later, there it was. The giant carrier, white as a royal palace, exited hyperspace right in front of them with a muffled bang and a flash of ethereal blue. The cruiser, full of familiar buzzing life that rumbled heavy and intimidating, came towards their shuttle that couldn’t ever be on the same level of size as this beauty. 

Echo smiled to himself. “There she is. Home.” He could feel Fives’ hand on the inside of his elbow shift with him.

Fives let out a wet chuckle and relaxed. All the tension physically disappeared from his broad shoulders and slipped away like water. Two white and red shuttles exited the open bottom of the Venator-Class Star Destroyer and slowly approached them. 

A soft beeping sound broke the silence.

“This is CT-1342. Is this ARC-1409 and ARC-5555,” A clone’s voice asked, caution dripped in his tone.

Fives reached for the comm and turned it on. “Yes, this is ARC-5555 and ARC-1409.”

Their ship shuttered and moved suddenly.

“We’ll have to move your shuttle into the main hangar bay. Medics are waiting there for your arrival. Sit tight, boys.”

Echo closed his eyes and almost fell asleep again. His eyes flashed open in a lazy attempt to stay awake a little longer, but Fives grabbed his elbow, softly, and guided him over to sit in the co-pilot seat. Echo made a sound of protest.

“Shhh. Vod. It’s okay, just rest.” Fives stood beside his head. He pressed his hand into Echo’s shoulder to make sure he wouldn’t fall out of his seat as the shuttle was tugged forward by two ships on either side.

* * *

When they stepped out of the shuttle and into the hangar of the cruiser, they were almost immediately surrounded by brothers, calling their names and struggling to get closer to make sure they were alright. Some gasped in horror when they caught sight of Echo’s misshapen limbs, but the sight wasn’t enough to deter them. 

“Fives, holy kriff, you’re  _ alive _ —”

“How did you guys escape?”

“Oh  _ Force,  _ what did they do to Echo?”

“Echo! Fives! Step aside, get out of the way!” a more familiar voice cried. Fives’ head whipped around. Kix was elbowing his way through the crowd. Jesse and Hardcase followed behind him. Fives took a few stumbling steps towards them but had to stop to support Echo when his batchmate nearly stumbled without Fives there to hold his weight. 

“Fives!” Kix said once he had finally made his way close. “You’re okay, thank the Force! We thought you were dead! What happened?” Jesse and Hardcase sprang forwards to help Fives hold Echo upright. For the first time in ages, Fives was surrounded by helping hands and worried brothers. The realization was almost enough to make him feel faint. 

“They were holding us on Skako Minor,” he said, voice faint with exhaustion and relief. “They wanted the algorithm. They got it, too, thanks to whatever they did to Echo, but they underestimated us.” He was shaking, he realized with a start. He felt hands on his back, supporting him just as much as they were helping Echo. “We need to speak with General Skywalker and tell him what happened—”

“The only place you’re going is the medbay,” Kix retorted, but his face was wrinkled with worry. “You can worry about reporting to the General later.”

“Fives,” Echo whispered. It was the first thing he’d had enough strength to say since landing. 

Fives turned immediately. “Echo? You alright?”

Despite the men around them, Echo swayed on his feet. His one remaining limb was wrapped around Fives’ shoulder. He trembled, meeting Fives’ gaze with hazy eyes. “I feel—dizzy,” he mumbled. “Something’s wrong, I don’t—I—”

His entire body suddenly sagged like a doll with cut strings. Fives felt a jolt of terror. He frantically reached out, but he wasn’t fast enough. Echo collapsed. The surrounding men began to shout in panic. For a moment Fives couldn’t breathe. 

“Move  _ back,  _ give them some kriffing space!” Kix yelled. The men backed off as Fives grabbed Echo’s shoulders, scrambling to feel a pulse. He found one and barely had time to gasp his relief before Kix was crouched next to him, hands raised like he was approaching a wild animal. 

“Fives. I know you’re freaked out right now, but will you let me look at him?”

Fives took a deep breath. He knew Kix. He could trust that he would take care of Echo. He nodded and let Kix shuffle forwards to inspect Echo. 

After a moment, Kix grimaced. “He’s got a fever. It’s probably a result of the surgeries he’s undergone not healing correctly, combined with the stress of captivity. I need to get him in the medbay,  _ stat. _ ”

As if in response to Kix’s command, two clones hurried up with a stretcher. Half-numb, Fives watched as they gently lifted Echo onto it. When they started to pull Echo away, Fives’ heart stuttered in his chest. For a moment, all he could see was the dirty Separatist cell and the magnaguards dragging his brother away for more torture. He lunged forwards on instinct. His vision swam. 

Jesse was in front of him. Both of Jesse’s hands came up to settle on Fives’ shoulders. “Fives, you’re alright. Come here, vod. Echo’s safe, Kix has him. He’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

Fives desperately grabbed onto Jesse’s gauntlets. His back throbbed, despite the bacta he had put onto his wound earlier. “Promise?” he managed to say, terror clinging to him persistently. 

Jesse held him steady. “I promise,” he repeated. “You’re safe. Let us take care of you now.”

That was all it took. Fives let his shoulders slump. He was so  _ tired.  _ He went pliant and allowed Jesse to steer him towards the medbay, finally at ease with the knowledge that they would be taken care of. Now Echo just needed to get better, and then everything would be okay. 

* * *

Echo woke slowly, with the sterile scent of bacta and anesthesia filling his nose. For a long moment, he just let himself relax, more comfortable than he’d felt in ages, but his memory didn’t allow him the luxury for long. He remembered escaping on the shuttle, as well as arriving in the hangar with Fives, but everything after that was hazy. He forced his eyes to open. They obeyed him sluggishly. He grunted in discomfort at the bright influx of light. 

“Echo?”

Echo blinked, trying to take stock of everything. He was stretched out on a bed in the medbay. A slight pressure in his forearm made him glance down to see an IV taped against his skin. The rest of his metallic limbs were arranged neatly under the blanket. He turned his head to the side to see Fives on the bed next to him, propped up on his side. His brother’s eyes were wide with worry. 

“I’m okay,” Echo rasped before Fives could say anything else. 

Fives offered him a weak smile. “Not quite,” he said. “But you will be soon.” 

Echo tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling for a long moment, riding the tidal wave of relief that washed through his chest. When he could finally speak, he turned back to Fives. “How long was I out?”

“Nearly a day,” Fives said. “Your body needed it. Your fever’s gone down.”

“What’s left of my body needed it, you mean,” Echo quipped tiredly. He meant it as a joke, but Fives’ expression dulled.

“General Skywalker came down for a while, while you were asleep. He told me he’d be willing to look at the cybernetics if you’re willing to let him.”

Echo sighed. It was calming to know that General Skywalker was willing to help. It eased a large chunk of his fears. “Yes, that’s fine. How’s your back?”

“It’s better already,” Fives answered. “Kix is a miracle worker.” 

They drifted off into companionable silence. Eventually, Echo opened his mouth again. “Fives...thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten out of there without you.”

Fives made a soft sound. “What matters is that we  _ did  _ escape, Echo. We’re home. I wouldn’t have been able to get free without your help, either. We’re a team, that’s how it’s always worked.”

Echo felt overwhelmed, suddenly. He swallowed thickly and felt Fives’ gaze zero in on him, perceptive as always. He heard a ruffle of fabric, and suddenly Fives’ voice was right up next to him. 

“Scoot over.” 

Echo obliged him, shuffling over as much as the IV would permit. Fives climbed in next to him, warm and  _ alive.  _ Echo felt a surge of emotion. They had survived, despite everything. He clung to Fives like a lifeline, relieved beyond words. 

“Love you,” he hummed and felt more than heard his brother repeat the words quietly in response. 

The door whooshed open. Echo felt Fives tense for a moment—feeling like deja vu, a couple of days ago when they were back in the cell—lifting his head to stare at the door before relaxing again. Echo craned his neck to see and winced at Kix’s raised eyebrow. 

“Fives,” Kix said, voice low in warning. 

Fives just flicked a dismissive hand at him. “His IV is still in, calm down. It’s fine, Kix.”

Kix glared, unconvinced, but his gaze softened when he looked at Echo. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright,” he replied quietly. 

Kix looked him up and down before smiling. “Alright enough to see some visitors? They’re camped out in front of my medbay, I can’t get through without wading through a sea of concerned brothers.”

Echo was tired, but the prospect of seeing his brothers again is enough to make him perk up. “Yes. Yes, please.”

Kix nodded and poked his head out the door. “He’s awake!” he called. An immediate clamor began outside. Fives chuckled as Hardcase and Tup briefly scuffled to come inside first. Hardcase managed to win and hurried over, closely followed by a miffed Tup, Jesse, Dogma, and Captain Rex at the rear. 

“We were so worried!” Tup said immediately, grabbing Echo’s hand. “When you passed out we all thought the worst!”

“I’m gonna be fine now, Tup,” Echo promised. Beside him, Hardcase landed a gentle punch on Fives’ shoulder, who grinned and returned the gesture. The cheerful voices of Echo’s brothers filled the room. Captain Rex came closer, making himself known, eyes solemn.

“Captain,” Echo said, straightening the best he could in the bed. 

Rex waved a hand. “Echo, Fives. I’m sorry we didn’t go back for you.” His eyes were dark with regret. 

Echo shook his head. “No, sir, that wasn’t your call to make. I’m glad you didn’t. We made it out on our own.”

“You shouldn’t have needed to,” Rex replied. 

Fives huffed. “Rex, you did what you had to. Stop beating yourself up for it.”

Rex sighed, but something in his expression eased a bit. “I’m grateful that you two were able to come back to us. We…we mourned for you. All of us did.”

“It’s good to know that we were missed,” Fives said lightly, easing the solemn pressure of Rex’s words. “Don’t worry, sir, it’ll take more than that to keep us away.”

“Good.” The corner of Rex’s mouth lifted. “Let’s keep it that way. We need you here.”

The men eased back into excited chattering. Echo allowed himself to drift, content with the safe sounds of clone voices all around him. He barely even noticed Kix coming nearer until the medic was right in front of him. 

“Hey, Echo. I’m adding a sleeping agent to the dosage of your IV. Your body still needs to recover,” Kix told him softly. 

Echo took a deep breath. He could feel his mind demanding that he slip back into dreamland, and he didn’t see any reason to resist it. “‘Kay,” he managed, entire body going limp. He felt Fives’ arms tighten around him and Tup’s hand squeeze his own. Kix gave him a gentle smile as he fiddled with his equipment and pulled away. 

Echo felt warm and safe. He knew that there was no better place to be than the medbay surrounded by his brothers. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, meridianpony here! This has been such a fun story to write, and it’s been awesome to collab with angelwars to work on something so entertaining! She is such a wonderful friend and I’m so happy that I’ve gotten to know her and learn from her! We’re really grateful for your support as we’ve spent the last few months working on this, it has been a wonderful experience! Sadly this is the end of this story, but please keep an eye out for more of our stuff in the future! <3


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